Helena Jahangir's Bail Denied, Sent To Jail

A Dhaka court on Thursday (November 1) sent Helena Jahangir, a businessperson-turned-politician, to jail after dismissing her bail petition in a fraud case.

Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Tofazzal Hossain passed the order after Helena Jahangir through her lawyer appeared before it and sought bail in the case.

On March 20, the same court sentenced Helena Jahangir and four others to two years' imprisonment in the fraud case filed with Dhaka's Pallabi Police Station.

Four other accused are Hazera Khatun, general manager of Helena Jahangir's IPTV "Joyjatra Television"; Sanaullah Nuri, its coordinator; Qamruzzaman Arif, chief news editor; and staff reporter Mahfuzur Rahman.

During the day of judgment, Helena and another accused were absent while three others were present.

The magistrate fined them Tk 2,000 each, in default of which they will have to serve two months more in jail.

Earlier, the court recorded statements of 13 prosecution witnesses, including complainant in the case.

On April 18 last year, the court framed charges against Helena and four others in the case.

On November 21of 2021, Inspector Shahinur Islam of Criminal Investigation Department (CID), also investigation officer of the case, submitted charge sheet against Helena and four others to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka.

Joyjatra Television's Bhola district correspondent Abdur Rahman Tuhin filed the case on August 2 of 2021.

In the case, it was alleged that Helena took Tk 54,000 from Tuhin to appoint him as the Bhola correspondent of Joyjatra Television. As a correspondent, Abdur Rahman worked for several months but was not paid any salary. On the other hand, the television authorities took Tk 3,000 per month from him.

The law enforcers arrested Helena during a raid at her Gulshan residence in the capital on July 29 of 2021. She was released on bail in November that year.