Court sends policeman, 2 others to jail for planting drugs on pedestrian

ASI Mahbubul Alam and two others were denied bail in a case over entrapping a pedestrian by planting drugs in their pocket

A policeman was caught on camera planting narcotics in the pocket of a pedestrian. Photo: Ekattor TV

A court has sent Pallabi Police Station's Assistant Sub-Inspector Mahbubul Alam and two others to jail amid allegations that they entrapped a pedestrian by planting narcotics in his pocket.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ataullah rejected their bail petition on Sunday after they were presented in court at the end of a two-day remand in police custody for interrogation.

The other two suspects are Md Rubel and Md Sohel Rana.

The case's investigation officer, SI Md Anowar Hossain of Cantonment Police Station, brought the three suspects to court and petitioned for them to remain in jail.

The suspects’ lawyers – Shafiqur Rahman and Mohammad Anisuzzaman – petitioned for bail on their behalf.

The defence said the case was the result of a "misunderstanding", while the state argued that the incident tarnished the image of the police.

On Sept 8, the three suspects were remanded into police custody for two days.

According to the case dossier, ASI Mahbubul Alam and another person took a packet of yaba from a source and planted it in the pocket of a pedestrian named Khalilur Rahman. A case was then filed against him with the Pallabi Police Station.

A video of the drugs being planted was shown in a news report by a private television channel.

Afterwards, a case was filed under the Narcotics Control Act at the Dhaka Cantonment Police Station by SI Khalid Hassan Tonmoy of Pallabi Police Station.