A youth has been arrested by police on charge of keeping the holy Quran inside a church at Rajshahi.
He was arrested by Boalia Model police at about 12 noon today (Sunday). The arrested youth claimed himself as Jesus Christ.
The arrested youth's name is Golam Chowdhury. The 36-year-old youth is the son of late Quddus Chowdhury, and hails from village Choto Banagram New Colony in Rajshahi City.
Police claimed that the arrested youth kept the holy Quran inside the church with a view to destroy the communal harmony ahead of Christmas, the biggest religious festival of the country's Christian community.
Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) Commissioner Abul Kalam Siddique stated it at a press conference in Rajshahi city on Sunday afternoon.
The police commissioner said at about 6:40am today (Sunday), an unidentified person left a bag wrapping with a red cloth at the altar secretly. Sister Shanti of the church saw the bag. As the sister became suspicious, she had opened the bag and found a copy of holy Quran inside it. Then the church authorities informed police.
Abul Kalam Siddique said said receiving a phone call, police went to the spot and examined the CCTV footage of the church. The footage showed that an unidentified person was coming out of the church in the morning. Examining the footage and taking help of information technology, police then succeeded to identify the culprit. Then police arrested him conducting a drive.
The RMP Commissioner said the youth committed the crime to destroy communal harmony. He also claimed himself as Prophet Isa (RA). He claimed that Isa (RA) would come to this world again with a Quran in his hands. He claimed that he had appeared as Prophet Isa (RA).
"There is a case against the youth under process. Besides, he is being interrogated. Police also looking whether any other person was involved in the incident apart from him," he said.
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