A Dhaka court sent Mohammad Faisal, Managing Director of Este Medical Bangladesh, to jail following charges of sexually assaulting his close relative.

Faisal had surrendered before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court and applied for bail, saying the accusations were false.

After the hearing, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sefatullah sent him to jail.

Tahmina Akhter, Sub-Inspector (SI) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Prosecution Division, said the victim’s father had filed a case with Gulshan Police Station as the plaintiff on April 23.

According to the case statement, the accused on 24 June last year had called the victim, a close relative, to his office in Gulshan for lunch.

As the girl was also close to the accused’s daughters – who study abroad – she did not think too much of it.

Later on, when driving her home, he offered to teach her to drive. He insisted she sit on his lap, but the victim refused, the statement alleged. 

Afterwards, Faisal became aggressive and sexually assaulted the victim.

The victim then feigned illness and asked that she be taken home.

The statement said the assault left the victim traumatised. She, however, did not inform the family, until 17 April this year, when Faisal came to the victim’s sister’s wedding.

At one point, the statement alleged, Faisal shouted and abused the victim after being confronted, resulting in the family’s intervention.

That’s when they learned of the matter and the case was filed soon after.

Dhaka Bar Association President Advocate Anwar Zahid Bhuiyan, Secretary Abul Kalam Khan, and its former president Golam Mostafa Khan, who represented Faisal, told the court in the hearing that false allegations had been made due to a land dispute.

Therefore, the accused should be granted bail.

Several lawyers, including the recently former president of the Dhaka Bar Association, Advocate Khorshed Mia Alam, and former senior associate general secretary Jahirul Hasan Mukul, attended the hearing on behalf of the plaintiff.