Actor Zaher Alvi sent to jail after remand in wife's suicide abetment case

A Dhaka court has ordered the imprisonment of television actor Zaher Alvi, whose official name is Md Niamat Ullah Bhuiyan, after the completion of his two-day remand in a case filed over allegedly abetting the suicide of his wife.

The order was passed today (30 June) by Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Aminul Islam Junayed following a hearing.

After the remand ended, Detective Branch (DB) Inspector Md Abdul Malek of the Mirpur Division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police produced Zaher before the court and sought an order to keep him in jail until the investigation is completed.

In the remand application, the investigation officer said the accused had been questioned from different angles regarding the incident and had provided important information that would assist the investigation. The application also stated that the preliminary investigation found his involvement in the alleged offence, making it necessary to keep him in custody until the probe is completed.

Defence lawyer Afzal Hossain Mridha confirmed the development.

Earlier, on 18 June, the court rejected Zaher Alvi's bail petition after he surrendered and ordered him to be sent to jail. While in custody, police sought a 10-day remand on 21 June, and on 24 June, the court granted a two-day remand.

According to the case statement, on 28 February, family members found Ikra hanging from a ceiling fan with a scarf at her residence in Mirpur DOHS. She was taken to Kurmitola General Hospital by relatives and the building owner, where doctors declared her dead.

Later that night, Ikra's father, Kabir Hayat Khan, filed the case, alleging that his daughter had been "forced" to take her own life due to prolonged family disputes and various forms of abuse.

Zaher Alvi and Ikra married in 2010 and have a son.

In the same case, Zaher Alvi's mother, Nasrin Sultana Sheuly, surrendered before the court on 4 June and was granted bail.