United News of Bangladesh

A Dhaka court on Monday granted bail to model and chairperson of Miss Bangladesh Foundation Meghna Alam in a fraud and extortion case filed with Dhanmondi police station. Dhaka Additional chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Sanaullah passed the order after hearing a bail petition filed by Meghna’s counsel. Earlier on April 17, Meghna Alam was shown arrested in a fraud case filed with Dhanmondi police station. Judge of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court Masum Mia passed the order after the investigation officer (IO) of the case produced her before the court with a plea for showing her arrested. BFIU summons model Meghna Alam's bank accounts The court also placed Dewan Samir, an aide of the model, on a five-day remand after showing him arrested in the same case. According to the case statement, Megna and Samir along with two to three unidentified people were active members of a ‘fraud gang’. Allegations have been brought against them that they were involved in aluring foreign diplomats and representatives stationed in Bangladesh, as well as wealthy local businessmen, into romantic affairs through attractive women. Once involved, they applied different tactics to tarnish their reputation in order to extort money through engaged them into illicit relationships and subsequently blackmailed using various deceptive methods. It is also mentioned that Samir, CEO of a business entity called Kawaii Group and the owner of a manpower company named Sanjana International, operated a business entity named MirAI International Event Management Ltd. He allegedly appointed various attractive and smart women as brand ambassadors of the company to facilitate easy access to foreign diplomats and wealthy businessmen. As part of a scheme to make his manpower and other businesses more profitable, Samir, with the help of his co-accused and driven by dishonest intentions, would target foreign diplomats and blackmail them. Using these women as intermediaries, he would extort large sums of money from the victims under threat of reputational harm. On April 9, DB picked up Meghna from her residence in Bashundhara residential area of Dhaka and later taken into custody the following day for 30 days, triggering criticism over the matter. The DB claimed that she was arrested under Special Power Act-1974. Ahead of the arrest, Meghna in a Facebook live alleged that people posing them as police personnel were trying to enter her house breaking open its door. Amid the severe criticism, Law Adviser Prof Asif Nazrul admitted that the way she got arrested was not appropriate. Centering the matter, DB Chief Rezaul Karim Mallick was removed from his position. On April 13, the High Court issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why the arrest of model Meghna Alam should not be declared illegal.