Travel ban issued on actress Shaon, nine others

A Dhaka court today issued a travel ban on actress and singer Meher Afroz Shaon and nine others in connection with a case filed over the alleged attempted murder of her stepmother Nishi Islam.

Among those barred from leaving the country are Harunur Rashid, former chief of the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police; Shaon's father engineer Mohammad Ali; her brother Mahin Shinjon; sister Senjuti; and former Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) additional deputy commissioner Nazmul Islam.

Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Sanaullah passed the order after the complainant's lawyer Nazrul Islam filed a petition requesting the travel ban.

However, the court did not impose the ban on two other accused—former police inspector Saiful Islam Bhuiyan and former sub-inspector Shah Alam—as they are currently out on bail in the same case.

On April 22, the same court issued arrest warrants against all 10 accused after they failed to appear in court despite summonses.

On March 13, Nishi filed the case with the court, accusing Shaon, Harun, Nazmul, Mohammad Ali, and eight others of assault and an attempt to kill her.

The court recorded her statement and summoned the accused to appear on April 22.

According to the case statement, on February 21, 2024, Mohammad Ali married the complainant under Islamic law, agreeing to a dower (denmohor) of Tk 50 lakh, of which Tk 50,000 was paid in advance.

The complainant alleged that Ali concealed his previous marriage and misled her into marrying him.

She later discovered that Ali had a wife and four children—one son and three daughters—from his earlier marriage.

"When asked about it, he avoided the topic and finally admitted to his previous marriage and deceptions," reads the complaint.

On February 28, Shaon's brother Shinjon and brother-in-law Sabbir reportedly visited the plaintiff's residence and threatened her to keep the marriage secret.

Then, on March 4, Ali called Nishi to a Gulshan residence, claiming to be ill.

There, she encountered his previous wife and realised the extent of his deception.

According to the complaint, other accused individuals then forcibly pushed her out of the house.

The next day, the complaint says, Shaon, former additional deputy commissioner Nazmul and others entered her residence and attempted to coerce her into signing a blank sheet of paper.

When she refused, Shaon allegedly assaulted her physically, causing her to lose consciousness.

The accused then fled the scene, the complaint added.