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DHAKA: A music teacher who had accused Chuadanga BNP General Secretary Sharifuzzaman Sharif of rape by deception has been arrested and sent to jail in a gold smuggling case.
The district's additional superintendent of police, however, said she has no prior criminal history, and investigators have yet to find any evidence linking her to the smuggling.
The teacher worked as an assistant music instructor at several educational institutions, including a high school, under the Darshana upazila administration.
Rape by deception is when a perpetrator tricks the victim into a sexual act they would not have otherwise consented to. In this case, Sharif allegedly lured the victim with a false promise of marriage.
The matter gained public attention following several media reports on the incident. A day after she revealed her relationship with Sharifuzzaman and his alleged deceit, police arrested her from her home on Oct 7.
Speaking to The Daily Star, Chuadanga Additional SP Md Minhaj-ul-Islam said the woman was arrested under the Special Powers Act in connection with a gold smuggling case filed on September 30. "She was arrested after another accused, Asma Begum, mentioned her name in a confessional statement under Section 164."
According to the case statement, police arrested Asma with three gold bars on September 29. The next day, she gave a confessional statement before the Senior Judicial Magistrate's Court, saying she knew the teacher because her daughter, a second grader, took music lessons from her at the school.
Asma allegedly claimed the teacher had previously offered her to join smuggling activities and that on the day of the incident, she had been asked to deliver a cigarette packet to a man -- unaware that it contained gold.
Additional SP Minhaj acknowledged that investigators have not yet found any proof of the teacher's involvement. "They are also unsure whether she had any contact with Asma at all," he said, adding that no criminal record against her was found at the local police station. "If she's found innocent, her name will be dropped from the charge sheet."
Speaking to The Daily Star, the head teacher of the high school where she taught said, "She used to come once a week to take classes. I didn't have much contact with her. However, I don't recognise Asma Begum's daughter. If she's a second-grade student, she isn't supposed to be learning music here. [As a high school] We start classes from grade six."
This correspondent spoke to at least 30 residents of the victim's village, all of whom said there was no possible way she could be involved in gold smuggling.
Rahima Begum, a tea-stall owner, said she had watched the teacher grow up. "I've never heard anything bad about her. I can't imagine how this happened."
Rickshaw-puller Mamun, sitting at a nearby stall, said, "This is unimaginable. We don't believe she could ever do such a thing. She's such a kind-hearted woman."
A prominent cultural activist in Chuadanga Dhiru Baul said, "Politics is clearly at play here. I've never seen her involved in any crime, nor did I know of any relationship between her and Sharif. Now, we can't even speak out. The atmosphere doesn't allow it -- we're in fear ourselves."
The teacher's brother said his sister had been framed. "Everyone knows what kind of family my sister comes from. She doesn't need to smuggle gold to survive."
He alleged that several lawyers they approached in the past two days refused to take the case. "What crime has she committed that makes them so hesitant?"
He also claimed that his sister went to the police, court, and top BNP leaders in the district with her complaint against Sharif, but no one helped her. "Even the law enforcers advised her to settle the matter privately."
The Daily Star, as per its editorial policy, has not disclosed the victim's and her family's names and location for safety purposes.
Contacted, BNP leader Sharif said, "This woman went to the army, the police, the judge's court, and the juvenile court to file a complaint against me, but no one accepted it. They said evidence was needed, which she couldn't provide. She only showed some screenshots of messages. Later, the authorities sent her back without taking the case."
He claimed it was part of a conspiracy to frame him and block his party nomination in the upcoming election.
Asked why police refused to accept her complaint, the additional SP said, "I'm not aware of the matter. I'll look into it."
President of Chuadanga Bar Association Syed Mahmood Shamim Reza said, "I don't know which lawyer they went to. It's unlikely they couldn't find one."
Sub-Inspector Shamsur Rahman of Darshana Police Station, also the investigating officer of the case, said, "Give us a few days and we hope to come up with results." - The Daily Star/ANN
