A Mymensingh court on Monday sent a businesswoman to jail after police filed a case against her over remarks expressing regret for voting for the BNP in the national election.

Mymensingh court police inspector PSM Mostachinur Rahman said Senior Judicial Magistrate Sajedul Islam ordered Shathi Akter to be sent to jail.

Earlier, local BNP supporters and businessmen surrounded Shathi, owner of a beauty parlour named Shathi Makeover in the Square Masterbari area of Bhaluka upazila in Mymensingh, after she went live on Facebook twice on Sunday, at 12:40pm and 12:47pm.

In the videos, she complained about repeated thefts of mobile phones from her home and air-conditioner cables from her shops. She specifically referred to the year 2026 and urged people to remain vigilant against thieves.

In one of the videos, she struck her hands with sandals while expressing regret over “voting for the current government in 2026”.

As tensions escalated, police took Shathi into custody at around 8:30pm. They later filed a case against her under Section 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

Mostachinur Rahman said Section 151 primarily empowers police to take preventive action.

“If police suspect that a person is planning to commit a cognisable offence, they can arrest the person to prevent the offence. In such cases, police themselves act as the complainant and take the necessary legal steps,” he told Daily Waadaa.

Earlier, Bhaluka Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Zahidul Islam said locals had detained a female entrepreneur and handed her over to police over her alleged derogatory remarks about the BNP.

“Legal action is being taken in this regard,” he had said.