'Threat to...': Ex-Miss Bangladesh arrested after affair with married diplomat
What's the story
Former Miss Bangladesh and model, Meghna Alam, has been languishing in a Dhaka prison for the past few days.
She was arrested by the Dhaka Police on April 9 under the Special Powers Act for allegedly posing a "threat to public safety, law, and order."
Her arrest occurred shortly after Alam claimed she had an affair with a married ambassador.
Authorities had even allegedly raided her house, which Alam live-streamed on social media.
Arrest details
Allegations and claims surrounding Alam's arrest
Muhammad Younus's government has detained Alam for 30 days under special powers, her supporters say. They allege she has been held without formal charges.
Before she was arrested, Alam live-streamed the incident where she alleged the Detective Branch of Bangladesh police was breaking into her home in Dhaka on April 9 to arrest her.
Controversial claims
Extortion allegations and relationship claims
Bangladeshi media reports claimed that Alam is accused of attempting to extort $5 million from Essa Yousef, former Saudi ambassador to Bangladesh.
In a now-deleted Facebook post, Alam had alleged that "the Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh, Essa Yousef, is taking up people by police, fearmongering that I should not post the truth on social media."
Personal revelations
Allegations of a broken engagement and threats
Alam's father, Badrul Alam, said his daughter was engaged to Yousef but later found out he was married.
"The ambassador and Meghna were in a relationship, and my daughter refused his marriage proposal because he already has a wife and children," he said.
After this, Alam started publicly raising her concerns about being threatened and feeling unsafe.
Official admission
Government admits mishandling of Alam's arrest
Acknowledging that Alam's arrest was not right, government advisor Asif Nazrul said on April 13,
"There are some allegations against her, but the arrest under the Special Powers Act was not carried out properly," he told reporters.
Alam is a well-known actress in Bangladesh, having previously won the Miss Earth Bangladesh beauty pageant in 2020. She is also the chairperson of the Miss Bangladesh Foundation.