Staff Reporter :
A Dhaka court on Sunday ordered journalist Mozammel Babu, a former editor-in-chief of Ekattor TV, to be shown arrested in an extortion case filed with the capital’s Banani Police Station.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ziadur Rahman passed the order after a hearing and directed that Babu be sent to jail.
Earlier in the day, he was produced before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court. Banani Police Sub-Inspector Rajiul Amin, the investigation officer, sought permission to show him arrested in the case, which the court granted.
Babu has been in custody since 16 September last year, when he was detained from the Dobaura border area in Mymensingh. The following day, a Dhaka court granted seven days’ remand in a murder case filed with Ramna Police Station in connection with the July Movement protests. On 23 September, he was sent to prison.
The Banani extortion case was filed on 11 January this year by Chowdhury Md Humayun Kabir of Baishakhi Media Limited against Babu and two others.
According to the complaint, on 17 March 2007, during the army-backed caretaker government period, the accused visited Baishakhi TV’s office and demanded Tk 10 crore in extortion, along with pressure to make them shareholders in the channel.
They allegedly coerced the signing of share forms worth Tk 3 lakh and took Tk 4.5 lakh in cash from an office cabinet.
