Sylhet: Several hours after his arrest by Indian police, a Sylhet court on Thursday sent industrialist Ragib Ali to jail in two cases filed over grabbing endowment property of Tarapur Tea Estate.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Umme Saraban Tahura passed the order after police produced him before the court, rejecting his bail pleas in the two cases.

The court, however, granted bail to him in another case. 

Earlier, Indian immigration police arrested Ragib Ali from Karimganj district of Assam around 11am for illegal stay.

Later, the Indian police handed him over to the Bangladesh authority in the afternoon.
A team of Beanibazar Police Station received Ragib from a team of Indian immigration police at Sutarkandi border in Beanibazar upazila around 3pm, officer-in-charge of the police station Chandan Kumar Chakrabari told UNB. 

Later, the industrialist was produced before the court of Sylhet Chief Metropolitan Magistrate around 4:40pm, he said. 

Earlier on August 10, a court here issued warrants for the arrest of six people, including Ragib Ali and three of his family members, in two cases filed over grabbing land of an endowment property.

The other accused are Pankaj Kumar Gupta, current caretaker of Tarapur Tea Estate, Ragib's son Abdul Hye, his son-in-law Abdul Quadir and daughter Rozina Qaudir and Dewan Moshtaque Majid.

Ragib Ali and his family members fled to India hours after the arrest warrants were issued against them.

Police submitted the chargesheets in the two cases to Sylhet Metropolitan Magistrate Court on July 10 last.

On August 25, 1999, the authorities concerned of the then parliamentary watchdog on land affairs found that Tarapur Tea Estate captured a vast area of an endowment property and set up several establishments on the land illegally.

Later, the subcommittee of the parliamentary watchdog recommended taking legal action against illegal occupants. 

SM Abdul Hye, land commissioner of Sylhet Sadar, filed two cases against six people, including Ragib Ali, with Sylhet Kotwali Police Station on September 27, 2005.

On January 19 this year, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court asked the authorities concerned to reclaim Tarapur Tea Estate. The SC also ordered reinvestigation into the cases.

Following the SC order, Sylhet Metropolitan Magistrate court ordered the Police to Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to investigate the cases again. On July 10, PBI submitted report accusing Ragib Ali and his son Hye.