The Detective Branch (DB) of police has confirmed that the audio clip about the return of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina that spread on social media is of Rakibul, the former officer-in-charge of Cantonment police station.
Md Shafiqul Islam, additional commissioner of the DB, said this at a press conference at the DMP media centre on Minto Road, Dhaka, on Wednesday.
He said the voice had been identified through a forensic test carried out with the court’s permission.
Rakibul, then officer-in-charge of Cantonment police station, was withdrawn and attached to DMP headquarters on 17 September after an audio clip of a conversation about Sheikh Hasina’s return to the country and about the government, the administration and the police spread on social media.
Rakibul is heard saying: “Sheikh Hasina is coming in December. Nothing will happen. You cannot imagine how weak the police are on the streets. She should have come this month … if she comes, these police will not be able to do anything.”
In reply to journalists’ questions, the DB chief said: “The audio was verified through a voice test of former OC Rakibul with the court’s permission. The voice in the audio is his.”
He said an investigation was continuing into who Rakibul was talking to and why he made such remarks.
“We are investigating everything. Details cannot be disclosed until the investigation is complete,” he said.
After the audio spread, police filed a sedition case on 24 September against Rakibul and four or five unnamed others. He was placed on a five-day remand that day, and on 28 September a court granted a further two days.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report