Staff Correspondent:
A Dhaka court has sentenced Shamima Nur Papia and her husband Mofizur Rahman Sumon to 27 years in jail. She was the general secretary of Jubo Mohila League’s Narsingdi district unit.

Judge KM Emrul Kayesh of Special Tribunal-1 of Dhaka delivered the judgment.

Papia and her husband were produced before the court by the police during the hearing.

On September 27, the court fixed Monday for delivering the verdict after the argument hearing of both prosecution and defense in the case was concluded.

On June 29, RAB 1 Sub Inspector Md Arifuzzaman, the investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted a 35-page long charge sheet against the couple to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka.

In the charge sheet, the IO said the charges brought against the couple had primarily been proven and they should be brought under trial. He also anticipated maximum punishment for all accused in the case.

The IO of the case named a total of 12 individuals as witnesses in the charge sheet.

Earlier on February 22, RAB arrested Papia and her husband, along with their accomplices, at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport with counterfeit banknotes, foreign currencies, and some cash.

According to RAB, Papia was the ringleader of a gang and was engaged in smuggling counterfeit notes. RAB also found that she was involved in illegal arms business and drug trading, and ran a prostitution racket.

Later, Jubo Mohila League expelled Papia from her position as the general secretary of its Narsingdi unit.

RAB also recovered one foreign-made pistol, two magazines, 20 bullets, five bottles of foreign liquor, five passports, three checkbooks, some foreign currencies, and 10 bank cards from Papia’s residences.

RAB officials raided Papia’s two flats and her rented presidential suite at a five-star hotel in Dhaka and seized the items belonging to her and her husband Mofizur.

Three cases were filed against two under the Arms Act and the Narcotics Control Act with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station, and one for carrying counterfeit currencies with Airport police station.