Gen Masud on five-day remand

A Dhaka court on Tuesday placed retired Lieutenant- General Masud Uddin Chowdhury, one of the key figures behind the much-talked-about 1/11 incident in 2007, on a five-day remand in a case filed under the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act.

Judge of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Dhaka Aminul Islam Zunaid passed the order after hearing a petition filed by Detective Branch (DB) of Police.

Earlier on the day, DB Sub Inspector Md Raihanur Rahman, also Investigation Officer of the case, submitted a petition in the court, seeking a five-day remand for Masud Uddin Chowdhury.

Appearing for the state, Public Prosecutor Md Omar Faruq Faruqi told the court that General Masud was one of the principal architects and key operatives behind the 1/11 episode, playing a leading role in establishing what critics describe as an authoritarian regime.

During the 1/11 period, a 'so-called Truth Commission' was formed under their watch. Prominent business figures were allegedly detained and coerced into paying large sums of money. Such funds were later misappropriated, reportedly under his leadership.

They also pursued the controversial 'minus-two formula,' an attempt to sideline mainstream political leadership and create a vacuum in the country's political landscape.

Particularly, a key political family was subjected to intense pressure and systematic suppression during that time.

The state lawyer said General Masud and his cohorts tried to kill the family members of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, especially Tarique Rahman who is now Prime Minister of the country.

"During the Sheikh Hasina-led fascist regime, General Masud allegedly became involved in the manpower recruitment business, where he is accused of misappropriating large sums of money from aspiring migrant workers," the Public Prosecutor said.

According to the case documents, General Masud and his allies are the members of an organised human trafficking gang.

He and his associates charged workers significantly higher fees than the government-approved rates for overseas employment.

By exploiting the workers' desperation to secure jobs abroad, particularly in Malaysia and Middle Eastern countries, they reportedly imposed excessive service charges and other hidden costs.

For gathering more information about the human trafficking gang, General Masud needs to be placed on remand, the state lawyer added.

On the other hand, defence lawyer Morshedul Alam pleaded with the court to grant him bail, citing that he is 80 years of old and a distinguished soldier of the country. The lawyer further argued that General Masud has no connection to the allegations.

After hearing the both sides, the judge rejected the bail petition and sent General Masud to a five-day remand.

Meanwhile, detectives arrested General Masud from the Baridhara DOHS area early Tuesday.

Shafiqul Islam, chief of the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told reporters that the former army official was accused in at least four cases.

General Masud was General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 9 Infantry Division at Savar when a state of emergency was declared across the country on January 11, 2007.

Masud is regarded as one of the key military figures in enforcing the state of emergency and supporting the establishment of the military-backed caretaker government under Fakhruddin Ahmed.

As a close aide to the then Army Chief Lt Gen (later Gen) Moeen U Ahmed, he played a leading role in managing the influential committee responsible for the detention of senior leaders from both the BNP and Awami League, as well as key business personalities.

He was subsequently promoted to lieutenant general.

After about a year-and-a-half under the caretaker government, he was appointed Bangladesh's High Commissioner to Australia in June 2008.

The Awami League government, which came to power in 2009, retained him in the position until June 2011.

His tenure was later extended three times by the Awami League government.

After retiring from the position, he got involved in several businesses including restaurants in Dhaka.

In 2018, Masud initially sought nomination from the Awami League for the Feni-3 seat in the 11th national parliamentary election but later joined the Jatiyo Party led by HM Ershad.

He was subsequently elected MP from Feni-3 (Sonagazi-Daganbhuiyan) during the controversial elections of 2018 and 2024 as a Jatiya Party nominee.

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