Four Bangladeshi babies appeared in court in their parents’ arms accused of looting and causing criminal damage, officials said on Tuesday.
The magistrate on Monday asked the parents to post bail of 3 000 taka (about R290) for each child. The children’s ages ranged from three months to two years.
The children were among 10 people named in a case filed with police in the south-western port city of Chittagong.
”I was a bit surprised when I saw the babies appearing as accused people in my court and I granted them bail,” said magistrate Ali Noor, who adjourned the case until later this month.
”Clearly, it appears to be a false case, but everything will come out during the police investigation and the report that will be submitted to the court later,” he said.
Filing false cases to harass a child’s family is a regular occurrence in Bangladesh.
The children all belong to members of an extended family.
The children’s relatives said the allegations stemmed from a dispute over land with a neighbour. — Sapa-AFP