Meghna Alam not abducted, kept in protective custody: police

Model and Miss Bangladesh Foundation Chairperson Meghna Alam was not abducted, but is being held in protective custody following due legal procedures, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said today.

Muhammad Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner of the DMP’s media and public relations division, said Meghna has been kept in protective custody for allegedly engaging in a conspiracy to jeopardise national security, attempting to deteriorate inter-state relations by spreading falsehoods about important individuals, and causing economic harm to the country.

“The allegation of abduction is not true. Meghna Alam is being held in protective custody following all legal procedures,” he said.

He also added that Meghna retains her right to seek legal recourse.

Earlier on Wednesday night, Meghna was detained from her residence in Dhaka’s Bashundhara area while she was live on Facebook.

During the livestream, Meghna claimed that individuals identifying themselves as law enforcers from the Vatara Police Station tried to break into her residence without a search warrant. Visibly distressed in the video, Meghna urged them to leave and said she would present herself at the police station voluntarily. The Facebook live showed the individuals breaking into her flat and forcibly taking her phone. Shortly after, the video and several of her previous posts were removed from her profile.

Yesterday, she was sent to jail under a 30-day detention order issued under the Special Powers Act. The order was passed by the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Dhaka around 10:00pm following a police petition.

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