BANGLADESH

Detectives have arrested two people from a fake currency note factory from Shankar in the city.

Members of the Detective Branch (DB) of police arrested Abul Khayer, 40, and Humayun Kabir, 35, from the factory at Kaderia Housing Society on Friday.

DB assistant commissioner Masiur Rahman told that they were making fake notes of Tk 1,000 and Tk 500 ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

"They bought a flat and used it as a note-making factory. They chose a residential area to dodge law enforcers," he added.

However, exact amount of the seized fake notes could not be known immediately.

The police investigation committee looking into the sensational discovery that Persona beauty parlour filmed a female client on its CCTV has got five more days to submit its findings.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police's deputy commissioner (Gulshan) Khandker Lutful Kabir told bdnews24.com that the time was extended for a second time on Thursday as the three-strong panel had been busy for two days with 'some urgent work'.

The committee had got the first five-day extension on Oct 5. The panel, formed on Oct 3, was first given three days to submit its report.

The members of the committee, headed by additional deputy commissioner Nizamul Haque Molla, visited Persona beauty parlour and quizzed the staff. Two others of the committee are assistant commissioners Mizanur Rahman and Nurul Alam.

The High Court on Oct 10 ordered the government to take out all close-circuit TV cameras from beauty parlours on a writ petition filed by Bangladesh Human Rights Foundation chief executive Elina Khan.

The plea was filed after a doctor found a closed-circuit TV camera in her changing room after a spa at the parlour's Banani branch on Sept 30.

The woman made a verbal complaint with the police and the media for filming her.

Gulshan police sub-inspector Mehedy Masud was suspended on Oct 3 for destroying evidence and neglecting duty after seizing a CCTV camera of the beauty parlour.

The doctor's husband erased her footage from the parlour's computer in presence of the police officer.

On Oct 1, Persona chief Kaniz Almas Khan had told that the cameras were there for security reasons and she did not think they were violating anyone's privacy.

Raging debates ensued on social networking sites such as Facebook over camera use in beauty parlours on security excuse.

Three people, including a couple, have been drowned while picnicking in Gazipur.

The incident occurred at Shiruni Cottage, a picnic spot at Gojariapara, in the morning on Friday, police said.

The deceased were identified as Jamil Akter Lipu, 33, his wife Asma Akter Ira, 24, and Jamil's friend Tanvir Jahid Nayan, 32, son-in-law of Awami League publicity secretary Nooh-ul Alam Lenin. The couple hailed from Kazipara of Mirpur in Dhaka.

Hotapara Police Camp sub-inspector Azharul Islam told that they came to the picnic spot around 6am.

"Nipu and Ira were drowned when they were bathing in a pond. Nayan tried to rescue them," he said.

The bodies were handed over to the families, he added.

Support to former MP Shamim Osman in the Narayanganj City Corporation polls by three organising secretaries of the ruling party is not an indication of backing by the party, senior Awami League leader Suranjit Sengupta has said.

"No support has been extended to anyone in Narayanganj on behalf of Awami League," he told reporters on Friday at a discussion at Dhaka Reporters Unity.

He said support to Osman by the three leaders was a 'personal matter'.

Soon after Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Ahmed Hossain and Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapan visited Shamim's campaign office on Thursday evening, acting general secretary of the party Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif had also said he had no knowledge of any party decision on the matter.

"I have no clue about it," he told and declined to comment any further on the matter. Hanif also dismissed further queries by saying, "Ask them."

Selina Hayat Ivy, the other major mayoral contender alongside BNP's Toimur Alam Khandker, is also a ruling party member and daughter of one of the party founders—Ali Ahmed Chunka.

Responding to a query, she said, "In no way it can be seen as him winning the support of the party. It's only support by Shamim Osman's friends."

Top Awami League leaders including prime minister Sheikh Hasina have met and tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade both Shamim and Ivy to end their rivalry.

However, now both of them would fight as mayoral contenders in the poll scheduled for Oct 30 as the party did not make its official position clear, even as the last hours of nomination withdrawal went on Wednesday.

Suranjit on Friday said, "According to the constitution, there are only two types of election systems — central government election and local government election. There is no chance to nominate a partisan candidate in the local government."

"If a partisan candidate must be nominated, then a law in this regard will have to be passed in parliament."

KHALEDA RIDICULED

Ridiculing the main opposition party chief Khaleda Zia's remarks that she would not return home before ousting the government, Suranjit said, "She said she won't return to home without overthrowing the government. Where she will stay in this rainy season?"

"She [Khaleda] said she will begin another liberation war. My question is what kind of war she is talking about with Jamaat-e-Islami on her side? Will she fight to return to Pakistan period again?"

Awami League advisory council member also talked of strengthening own party to foil the opposition's anti-government agitation programmes.