15 sent to jail in Prothom Alo arson-vandalism case

A Dhaka court today sent 15 people to jail in a case filed over the vandalism and arson attack on the office of Prothom Alo on Thursday.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Jewel Rana passed the order after police produced them before the court, seeking their confinement, said a court staffer.

The 15 who have been sent to jail are: Naim Islam, 25; Sagar Islam, 37; Ahad Sheikh, 20; Mohammad Biplob, 20; Nazrul Islam Minhaj, 20; Mohammad Jahangir, 28; Sohel Rana, 25; Mohammad Hasan, 22; Mohammad Rasel, 26; Abdul Barek Sheikh alias Al Amin, 31; Rashedul Islam, 25; Saidur Rahman, 25; Abul Kashem, 33; Pranto Sikdar, 21, and Raju Ahmed, 33.

Earlier in the day, Maj (retd) Sazzadul Kabir, head of security at the Prothom Alo office, filed a case with Tejgaon Police Station against 400-500 unidentified people over the attack at their office in Dhaka.

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Section 6(1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, Section 15(3) of the Special Powers Act, and Section 26(1) of the Cyber Security Ordinance were also included in the case.

The case documents stated that the attack was carried out with the intent to intimidate, cause damage, disrupt office operations and prevent the publication of the newspaper.

The value of Prothom Alo's looted property is estimated at Tk 2.50 crore, while the total damage from vandalism and arson amounts to approximately Tk 32 crore, said the case statement.

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