Arav Khan's extradition from Dubai: Is it possible?
UAE authorities have cancelled Arav’s residence permission, asked him not to leave the country without notice
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun on Monday confirmed to the media that Interpol has received a letter from the Bangladesh Police to bring back Rabiul Islam, alias Arav Khan, who is an absconding accused in a case filed over the murder of Special Branch Inspector Mamun Imran Khan.
Speaking to reporters in Chattogram, the IGP said Interpol had accepted the request and issued a red notice against Arav Khan – the name used in the charge sheet.
However, the Interpol website did not show any such red notice at the time of filing of this report around 8pm on Monday.
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When asked about the role of the police in bringing Arav Khan back to the country, the IGP said, "The matter is being investigated with utmost importance. We are also investigating if any police officer is involved in his escape. We will disclose our findings when the time is right."
Earlier, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said Interpol's help had been sought to bring Arav back from Dubai.
However, the possible extradition of Arav Khan from Dubai remains unclear as Bangladesh has an extradition treaty with only Thailand and India.
Although the UAE authorities have cancelled Arav Khan's residence permission and asked him not to leave the country without prior notice, there is no certainty regarding his extradition.
When approached by TBS the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Police Headquarters, and the foreign ministry declined to make any comments until further official announcements.
Police Headquarters Senior Information Officer Kamrul Ahsan, however, told TBS that the Interpol National Central Bureau (NCB) desk of Bangladesh Police had already issued a red notice, and it would take another 3-4 days to make it public on the website.
Dr Kamal Uddin Ahmed, chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and a former secretary of the home ministry, said, "Bangladesh does not have an extradition treaty with the United Arab Emirates. However, since his location has been identified, country-to-country communication may get priority in this case."
The Bangladesh government should inform its UAE counterpart that Rabiul alias Arav is a criminal identified by Bangladesh's law enforcement agencies, he suggested, adding, "As several cases and charge sheets have been filed against him, the police can easily prove that he is a criminal."
Regarding Arav's fleeing to Dubai with an Indian passport, he said it was another crime Arav had committed.
India should be informed of this matter, and legal action could be taken against him as he forged documents to obtain an Indian passport or nationality, said Kamal Uddin Ahmed, adding, "Even if he goes to Dubai with an Indian passport, it will not be a major obstacle to bringing him back since India may cancel his passport at Bangladesh's request."
He said that in 2013, an agreement was reached with the United Arab Emirates on the transfer of sentenced persons. But Arav has not been convicted or sentenced in any cases yet and so he cannot be brought under this agreement.
Police officials said there is no prisoner exchange or extradition agreement of Bangladesh with any country in the world except for India and Thailand.
According to the NCB desk, however, at least sixteen people were arrested and deported to Bangladesh between 2009 and 2018 following the issuance of red notices by Interpol.
Of them, two each were deported from the United States, India, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, while the remaining six were deported from Iran, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Qatar and Oman.
The fugitives brought back to Bangladesh were mostly murder convicts, said police officials.
Currently, there are 62 active red notices issued by Interpol after the Bangladesh government requested it to bring accused persons to the country.
Despite the red notices, many convicts are yet to be traced and brought back to the country.
Jisan Ahmed, charged with murder and possession of explosives, was reportedly arrested in Dubai in October 2019 and the Bangladesh authorities were informed about it after the arrest.
Police initiated the deportation procedure following the event but Jisan secured bail in Dubai and fled to the United Kingdom, according to officials.
Another cross-border manhunt began after the name of the accused, Suman Sikder alias Musa, cropped up in the confessional statement by a suspect in the assassination of Dhaka Awami League leader Jahidul Islam Tipu.
On 8 May 2022, Musa travelled to Oman and Dhaka notified the Interpol desk in Muscat. The Oman visit opened a window of opportunity for Bangladeshi law enforcers as they said Muscat was more responsive in apprehending the suspect.
"As we approached the Omani authorities, the Oman Royal Police and Interpol's Muscat desk sought the details of the allegations against Musa. We even had to translate a part of the confessional statement that suggested Musa's link with the murder in English and sent it to them," Mohammad Fayez Uddin, assistant superintendent of police of Dhaka Interpol desk, told TBS.
