Author: Haroon Habib
Publication: The Hindu
Date: November 22, 2002
URL: http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/11/22/stories/2002112204751200.htm
Bangladesh has expressed dissatisfaction
over the `delay' in informing it about the arrest of two of its criminals
in Kolkata on Saturday and said it was still awaiting a positive response
from India on their return. The Government also expressed frustration at
the reported release of seven other criminals after their arrest by the
Kolkata police. Officials and media have claimed, that the Kolkata police
arrested Liaquat, Arman, Kala Jahangir, Pichchi Hannan, Killer Abbas and
four other - `most wanted criminals'. However, they later allegedly released
all excepting Liaquat and Arman, the two notorious ones, against whom a
host of criminal cases are pending at home.
The Foreign Secretary, Shamser Mobin
Chowdhury, said at a press briefing here today that in the absence of an
extradition treaty between the two countries the `criminals' could not
be deported to Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, Tauhid Hussain, the Deputy
High Commissioner of the country in Kolkata has requested the State Government
to hand over the `most wanted criminals' so that they could be tried at
home.
A Foreign Office spokesman said
the detective chief of West Bengal even claimed to have handed over the
seven criminals to the Bangladeshi authorities. ``How could he lie so blatantly'',
the official was quoted as saying by the Daily Star. ``The Deputy High
Commissioner does not know anything, yet they have been handed over to
us!''
The coverage of the arrest of the
two criminals by the Kolkata media shows how misinformed some of the leading
publications were, the Dhaka dailies, including the Daily Star said. These
persons were wanted for murder, extortion and all sorts of criminal activities
and not known to have any links with any fundamentalist groups, they said.
