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Police claim to have found evidence of an attempt to extort ‘$5 million’ through coercion from the recently departed ambassador
Published : 13 Apr 2025, 01:53 AM
A Dhaka court has placed a person on a five-day remand for interrogation over the "fraud by demanding a large sum of money" from recently departed Saudi Arabian ambassador Issa bin Youssef Al-Duhailan using an "attractive woman”.
Police said the man, Md Dewan Samir, is an aide to model and actress Meghna Alam, who was recently arrested by police detectives.
They claimed to have found "prima facie evidence" against Samir of trying to grab $5 million from the former Saudi ambassador to Bangladesh by "entrapping him with a beautiful woman”.
In the “deception” case filed at the capital's Vatara Police Station, 58-year-old Samir has been identified as the chief executive (CEO) of a company named "Kawai" and the owner of "Sanjana Manpower”.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Sarah Farzana Haque remanded Samir after a hearing in the case on Saturday, according to SI Zakir Hossain of Vatara Police Station’s court prosecution wing.
However, Vatara police chief Mazharul Islam did not disclose the names of the other accused and whether model Meghna was an accused or not.
Vatara police Sub-Inspector Ariful Islam, also the investigation officer of the case, sought a 10-day remand. The court granted a five-day remand instead.
In the remand application, the investigation officer said police had received information on Apr 10 that a gang of fraudsters in Bashundhara was trying to extort money by "blackmailing" several foreign ambassadors and wealthy people by luring them through good-looking girls.
The accused, Samir, was found there at 10:35pm on that day.
"During interrogation and preliminary investigation, it was revealed that Samir used to entice and make illegitimate relationships through women who were members of the gang. Later, they tried to extort money through multiple means.
“The accused targeted Al-Duhailan in January last year and developed a bond with him until now. At one point, they demanded $5 million from the ambassador. Samir created pressure by intimidating and threatening through multiple means to provide the money."
According to the plea, an effort was made to collect the money from Samir's house in Bashundhara Residential Area on Apr 8 as part of the fraud attempt. He was detained from that residence on Apr 10 and the "truth" of the incident was found after questioning.
“It is learnt that the accused and his associates have important information. Further interrogation of the accused (Samir) is required to unravel the mystery behind the demand of $5 million to the (recently departed) Saudi Arabian ambassador and to identify and arrest those involved in the fraud," the plea read.
Earlier on Wednesday night, Meghna was detained from her apartment in Dhaka's Bashundhara Residential Area.
Shortly before her arrest, she went live on Facebook, claiming that “people identifying themselves as police” were attempting to break down her door and enter her home. The livestream, which lasted over 12 minutes, was later deleted from her account, but clips had already circulated widely on social media.
Meghna could not be contacted throughout Thursday, prompting her friends and family to allege that she had been abducted or forcibly disappeared.
A police officer from Vatara Police Station, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “Law enforcement, along with local officers, went to Meghna Alam’s residence on Wednesday. She initially refused to open the door. She was eventually detained and taken to Minto Road.”
Later that night, around 10:30pm, the Detective Branch (DB) of police presented Meghna before the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court.
Metropolitan Magistrate Md Sefat Ullah ordered that she be held in custody for 30 days under the Special Powers Act, following a petition by the DB, according to SI Zakir.
Meghna, who won the Miss Earth Bangladesh title in 2020, is also the chairperson of the Model and Miss Bangladesh Foundation.
In a message on Friday, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) refuted claims circulating on social media that Meghna was abducted after a "break-in" at her home.
Police said that she was taken into safe custody following proper legal procedures.
Although no specific charges have been filed, a senior police officer said that Meghna was detained in response to a complaint lodged by a senior official at the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Dhaka.
