Helena Jahangir gets bail

A Dhaka court has granted bail to businesswoman Helena Jahangir who was convicted for two years in a fraud case.

Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Asaduzzaman’s court on Wednesday (November 15) granted Helena Jahangir, chairman of Joyjatra TV, bail after hearing a bail petition of her.

Earlier on November 2, Dhaka’s Additional Metropolitan Magistrate Tofazzal Hossain’s court ordered police to send her to jail upon her surrender. Later, on that day, her counsel submitted a bail petition to the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Asaduzzaman’s court. Responding to the bail petition, the court fixed November 15 for the hearing on bail.

Earlier on March 20 last, the court sentenced five accused including Helena Jahangir to two years’ jail in a fraud case filed with Dhaka’s Pallabi Police Station.

Four other accused were 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.

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

In the case, it was alleged that Helena took Tk 54,000 from Abdur Rahman Tuhin of Bhola district to appoint him as a local 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.

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

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