Actress Mahiya Mahi gets bail

A Gazipur court on Saturday granted bail to actress Mahiya Mahi, hours after she was arrested from Dhaka airport and sent to jail in a case filed under the Digital Security Act (DSA).

Anowar Hossain, superintendent of Gazipur district prison, said that Mahiya got bail in two cases.

Documents of the bail from Gazipur Metropolitan Court arrived at the prison, he said, adding that process is underway to release her.

Rokon Mia, sub-inspector of Bason Police Station, filed the case under the Digital Security Act against Mahi and her husband Rakib on Friday night on charge of “defaming police” after going live on Facebook.

Mahi was arrested from the airport after her arrival from Saudi Arabia but husband Rakib Sarker, also an accused in the case, did not return home with her. Later, a Gazipur court sent her to jail.

Briefing reporters, Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Molla Nazrul Islam said, “A case was filed against Mahi and her husband under the DSA Act on Friday night for ‘tarnishing the image of Police Commissioner and Police Department’. Police arrested her from Dhaka airport soon after she arrived at the airport from Saudi Arabia this noon.”

Mohammad Ibrahim, deputy commissioner of DB of Gazipur Metropolitan Police, said a team of Gazipur police arrested Mahi and took her to Bason Police Station.

Meanwhile, Ismail Hossain, a businessman, filed another case with Bason Police Station against 28 people including the couple on charges of assault, vandalism and land grabbing.

Abu Torab Mohammad Shamsuddin, deputy commissioner of Gazipur Metropolitan Police, said police filed the case against the couple for “tarnishing the image of police, including Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Molla Nazrul Islam,” after going live on Facebook.

According to the case statement, Mahi, from her Facebook page, went live early Friday — making allegations against police.

During the live session, she said Ismail Hossain and Mamun Sarkar, through their people, carried out an attack on a car showroom, Sony Raj Car Palace, owned by Mahi, on Dhaka-Tangail highway near Bhawal Badre Alam Government College.

The actress and her husband also alleged that the Gazipur Metropolitan Police commissioner “supported the attackers” after taking bribe.

She also said she feared getting arrested after returning to the country from Mecca. During the Facebook live, Mahiya’s husband Rakib alleged that police arrested security guards of the car showroom.

Meanwhile, Ismail Hossain, owner of Rod Binding Factory in Itahata area of Gazipur city and plaintiff of a case, in his complaint said, he has been running a factory in the area for the past 10 years after purchasing land there.

On Friday, some people on behalf of Rakib and Mahiya attacked and vandalized the factory, he said. They also beat up 5 people at the factory, leaving them injured, while trying to occupy the land, according to the complaint.

Contacted, Molla Nazrul, Commissioner of Gazipur Metropolitan Police, said, “Actress Mahiya brought allegations against police on Facebook and tried to draw sympathy through lies.”

So far, police arrested nine people in connection with the case filed by businessperson Ismail. Mahi and her husband were the principal accused (hukumer ashami) in the case, said commissioner Nazrul.