United News of Bangladesh

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has filed a money laundering case against former law minister Anisul Huq, his female friend Taufiqa Karim, and two others over allegations of extortion and illegal financial transactions involving nearly Tk 25 crore. The CID lodged the regular case with Bhatara Police Station on Sunday under Section 4(2) of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012 (amended in 2015), said CID Special Superintendent of Police (Media) Jasim Uddin Khan. The other accused are Md Rashedul Kawsar Bhuiyan alias Jibon and Md Kamruzzaman. According to the CID’s Financial Crime Unit, the four accused allegedly formed an organised crime ring and systematically collected money through illegal means over an extended period. The investigation found that Md Kamruzzaman, who joined the National Bank of Pakistan as managing director in 2015, regularly transferred funds to Taufiqa Karim’s personal bank account under the pretext of a legal consultancy agreement with her law firm, Sirajul Huq Associates. Until Kamruzzaman went into hiding on August 5, 2024, the group allegedly collected Tk 10.80 crore from the bank alone. In addition, CID said Taufiqa Karim’s personal accounts received approximately Tk 10.60 crore from various individuals and organisations. CID further stated that after Anisul Huq became law minister, his close associate Taufiqa Karim and Md Rashedul Kawsar Bhuiyan appointed Jibon as his personal secretary (PS). During this period, the accused allegedly formed an NGO named Legal Assistance to Helpless Prisoners and Persons. Taufiqa Karim served as its chairperson, Md Rashedul Kawsar Bhuiyan Jibon as secretary general, and Anisul Huq as treasurer. Investigators found that the NGO collected a substantial amount of money as donations through accounts maintained at Sonali Bank PLC, Supreme Court Branch. From March 11, 2015, to June 30, 2024, more than Tk 24.53 crore was deposited into the NGO’s accounts. During the investigation, the Dhaka Metropolitan Special Judge Court ordered the freezing of over Tk 24.53 crore deposited in 26 bank accounts in the name of accused Taufiqa Karim, CID officials said. The case is currently under investigation by the Financial Crime Unit of the CID. Authorities said efforts are underway to determine the full extent of the alleged offences, identify additional suspects, and take further legal action. The CID reaffirmed its commitment to combating money laundering and financial crimes, stating that all those involved in such offences will be brought to justice.  

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Sunday granted bail to an accused for the first time in a case involving crimes against humanity committed during the July uprising last year. The accused, Humayun Kabir Patwary, served as president of the Lakshmipur Sadar Upazila Awami League and chairman of Charruhita Union Parishad in the same upazila. The three-member International Crimes Tribunal-2, headed by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, granted the bail on health grounds, citing the accused’s serious illness, said Prosecutor Mizanul Islam. The other members of the tribunal are Judges Md Manjurul Bashid and Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir. In his bail petition, Patwary’s lawyer said his client is suffering from liver cirrhosis and noted that two of his brothers had died of the same disease. During the hearing, the tribunal sought the prosecution’s view. Prosecutor Md Mizanul Islam said a medical report confirming serious illness had been submitted, making it difficult to oppose the bail request. He, however, urged that strict conditions be imposed to prevent the accused from contacting other suspects in crimes against humanity cases. The tribunal granted bail subject to several conditions, including that the accused must provide his residential address, refrain from making any statements to the media or on social media, not change his residence without informing the investigation officer and the tribunal registrar, and must not influence evidence or witnesses. The tribunal warned that any violation of the conditions would result in immediate arrest and cancellation of bail. The interim government reconstituted the International Crimes Tribunal to try crimes against humanity committed during the suppression of the anti-discrimination student movement in July last year. The reconstituted tribunal began functioning in October 2024. Humayun Kabir was arrested in Dhaka in August 2024 following the ouster of the Awami League government. A total of four people were arrested in connection with the crimes against humanity case in Lakshmipur, and Patwary has now been granted bail.

The murder of Mohammad Azizur Rahman Mosabbir, former joint general secretary of the Jatiyatabadi Swechchhasebak Dal, appears to have stemmed from a business dispute in Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar area, according to the Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. Additional Commissioner (DB) Md Shafiqul Islam shared the details at a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre on Sunday afternoon, outlining the progress of the ongoing investigation. He said the DB identified those involved in the killing and carried out operations across Dhaka, Gazipur, Mymensingh, Netrokona, Bhairab and Kishoreganj. During these drives, one of the two gunmen, Jinnat, 24, was arrested along with the alleged main coordinator of the attack, Mohammad Billal Hossain. Billal’s uncle, Abdul Kadir, 28, who reportedly helped the suspects flee after the incident, was also taken into custody. “The accused had conducted inspection at the crime scene prior to the attack,” Shafiqul Islam noted. Mohammad Riaz, 32, who is believed to have assisted in the investigation, has also been arrested. Authorities recovered a numberless motorcycle used in the attack and Tk 6,000 in cash from the suspects. During preliminary questioning, the arrested individuals confessed to their roles in the murder, though the firearm used in the shooting has not yet been recovered, the DB chief added. Responding to queries about potential political or underworld motives, Shafiqul Islam said the investigation is ongoing. “As the victim was a political leader, political motives are being examined. However, initial findings indicate the murder was linked to a business dispute,” he said. He clarified that the accused do not have any formal political affiliation, although they were engaged in business in Karwanbazar and had associations with political figures. The second shooter, identified as Rahim, remains at large. The DB is also investigating reports that Tk 1.5 million was allegedly sent from abroad for the killing. Besides, authorities are examining a recent human chain staged by Mosabbir against extortion, during which clashes had occurred and a case was filed. The incident took place last Wednesday around 8pm when gunmen shot Mosabbir in an alley near Hotel Super Star on Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue. Abu Sufian Bepari Masud, general secretary of the Tejgaon Thana Van Workers Union, who was accompanying Mosabbir, was also injured in the attack. Political vengeance behind Hadi killing: DB chief Mosabbir had previously served as general secretary of Dhaka North Swechchhasebak Dal and joint secretary of the party’s central committee. Following the killing, his wife, Suraiya Begum, filed a case at Tejgaon Police Station against unidentified suspects, stating that Mosabbir had received death threats in recent days.

Police have arrested another accused in the murder case of a college student in Sirajganj, raising the total number of arrests in the case to six, police said on Saturday. The arrestee was identified as Waliullah Rifat alias Chhotra, 16, son of Shahidul Islam of Dhanbandi Mahalla under Sirajganj Municipality, said Taj Milur Rahman, inspector-in-charge of Police Outpost No. 1 of the town and the investigating officer of the case. Superintendent of Police Saiful Islam Santu said the investigation and arrest operations are being carried out under special supervision. He added that the remaining accused are expected to be arrested within the next two to four days. The victim, Abdur Rahman Riyad, 18, a first-year student of Islamia Government College, was killed in broad daylight in Sirajganj district town on December 28. Following the incident, the victim’s father, Rezaul Karim, filed a murder case naming 11 individuals and 15 to 20 unidentified persons as accused.

A Class 10 student was brutally murdered by having her throat slit with a sharp weapon in the Banasree area of the capital on Saturday. The victim, Fatema Akter Lily (17), was a Class 10 student of Radiant School. The incident occurred between 1:30pm and 3:30pm at Pritom Villa on the main road of South Banasree. Lily was the daughter of Sajib Mia of Bamoin village under Lakhai upazila in Habiganj district. She had been living with her family in a rented flat at Pritom Villa in E Block of South Banasree, under Khilgaon Police Station. Confirming the incident, Khilgaon Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Shafiqul Islam said police rushed to the scene after receiving information in the afternoon and later went to the hospital, where they found the girl with her throat slit. Her body was recovered from Farazi Hospital. “The motive behind the murder is not yet known. We are investigating the matter,” he said. Lily’s elder sister Shova said their parents had gone to their village home on Wednesday due to a land-related issue, leaving the two sisters alone at home. She said they run a hotel business and one of their employees came to the house late Thursday night to collect food, during which Lily had a brief altercation with him for arriving so late. The same employee reportedly came again on Friday evening and on Saturday afternoon. Shova said she left the house around 1:30pm to go to a nearby gym and asked Lily to lock the door from inside. Upon returning home, Shova found the gate closed but the door unlocked. Inside the house, she found the room in disarray and later discovered Lily lying curled up under a large pot-like object. Initially, she thought her sister had suffered a head injury. She said no one came forward to help take Lily to hospital, and she eventually took her to Farazi Hospital with the help of a friend and a rickshaw puller. Later, after removing Lily’s hijab, they found a rope around her neck and deep cuts on her throat inflicted with a sharp weapon. Shova alleged that the family suspects their hotel employee Milton in connection with the murder. Police said further investigation is underway and legal action will be taken based on findings.

The main shooter in the murder case of BNP leader Alamgir Hossain, Tridib Chakraborty Mishuk (30), has been arrested by DB police in Jashore. He was held on Wednesday around 7:00 pm near the Bejpara temple area of the city. Tridib is the son of Mihir Chakraborty Trinath, residing in the Chiruni Kal area. On Thursday at noon, he was produced before the court, where he confessed to the murder under Section 164 of the CrPC. The judge accepted his confession and sent him to jail. DB SI Alok Kumar De said Tridib was first identified through analysis of CCTV footage from the crime scene and surrounding areas. His location was later confirmed using mobile phone tracking, leading to his arrest. According to court and police sources, Tridib named Jamai Porosh and his associate Sagar as the main planners of the murder in his statement. The incident occurred on the night of January 3, when unknown assailants shot Alamgir Hossain, joint secretary of Ward No. 7 BNP in Jashore municipality, while he was riding a motorcycle. Alamgir’s wife Shamima filed the case against Porosh, Sagar, and other unidentified individuals. DB police immediately launched an operation to arrest the main shooter following the case. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Asadul Islam accepted Tridib’s confession and ordered him sent to jail.

The Bangladesh Coast Guard has arrested Masum Mridha, the alleged ringleader of a tourist abduction gang in the Sundarbans. It also recovered firearms, sharp weapons and ammunition during the operation. Masum, 23, was detained Wednesday in Dhanakhali, Terokhada upazila, Khulna, following intelligence and drone surveillance operations. Information from Masum led authorities to several firearms, edged weapons and bullets. Earlier, the Coast Guard rescued two kidnapped tourists and a resort owner and arrested eight members of the gang. Recovered weapons included three homemade one-shooter pipe guns, eight live cartridges, four blank cartridges, a Chinese axe, two local axes, a cleaver, a steel pipe, and several drug-use items. Five mobile phones and a wristwatch belonging to the hostages were also recovered. Masum hails from Bipra Azgra village in Terokhada. His eight accomplices, aged between 24 and 55, are from different areas of Khulna district. Masum’s eight accomplices have been identified as Md. Ifaz Fakir (25), Kuddus Hawladar (40), Md. Salam Box (24), Zainabi Bibi (55), Alam Matbor (38), Ayon Kundu (30), Md. Maharaj Hawladar (25), and Mosha Mridha (55). According to the Coast Guard, on January 2, Masum and his team abducted two tourists and a resort owner from the Sundarbans, demanding ransom. A 48-hour coordinated operation, including financial tracing and intelligence, drone surveillance, led to the hostages’ safe release and the arrest of gang members. Over the past year, Coast Guard operations in the Sundarbans have seized 38 firearms, two grenades, 74 homemade weapons, equipment for weapon-making, 448 rounds of ammunition, rescued 52 hostages, and arrested 49 active gang members.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Thursday decided to file a case against 12 people including Orion Group Chairman Mohammad Obaidul Karim and 11 top bank officials of Mercantile Bank over allegations of embezzling over Tk 507 crore by illegally obtaining loan facilities. The decision was taken at the ACC headquarters on Thursday, ACC Director General Md Akhtar Hossain said. According to the investigation report, the accused allegedly colluded to violate banking laws and regulations by approving loans without adequate collateral, converting foreign currency loans from the offshore banking unit into domestic unit loans, creating new loans to repay classified ones, and unreasonably extending loan tenures by up to seven years. The ACC found evidence that these irregularities were carried out to provide unlawful benefits, resulting in the misappropriation of the money. The commission will proceed with legal action based on the findings of the inquiry, the ACC official added.  

Police have uncovered an illegal iPhone assembly factory operated by some Chinese nationals and arrested three of them from separate areas in the capital.   Detective Branch Mirpur Division Deputy Commissioner Mahiuddin Mahmud Sohel disclosed the information on at a press briefing at the DMP media centre on Thursday. A total of 363 iPhone sets of various models along with iPhone parts and different mobile phone manufacturing machinery were recovered during the operation.   He said tipped off, DB police conducted simultaneous raids on January 7 in Uttara Sector-17 and Nikunja-1 separately.   During the raids, one Chinese national was arrested from Uttara along with 58 mobile phones sets while two other Chinese nationals were arrested from Nikunja-1 with 305 mobile phones.   DC Mahiuddin Mahmud Sohel also said preliminary investigation revealed that the gang illegally brought different iPhone parts into the country separately from abroad and set up a secret lab in Dhaka.   The parts were assembled there to produce fake mobile phones resembling iPhones which were later sold in the market as original devices.   He added that the group had been carrying out the illegal operation for around one and a half years and was suspected of supplying a large number of counterfeit mobile phones during that period.   Asked whether Bangladeshi people were involved in the syndicate, he said several names have emerged during the investigation but details could not be disclosed in the interest of probe.   The DB official urged people to remain cautious while purchasing mobile phones saying many buyers were falling victim to fraud due to the lure of low-priced ‘original iPhones.’   He advised to purchasing mobile phones only from authorised and official showrooms or trusted sources.   Police said legal action against those involved is underway.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested an accused in the murder case of Liza Akhter, who was shot dead during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement in the capital’s Shantinagar area. The arrest was made after one year and five months of the incident. The arrestee is Mahtab Hossain Rudra (25), son of Kohidur Rahman and Maseda Begum, a resident of Rameshwar Sharma village under Ulipur upazila in Kurigram district. He was arrested at around 2:30 am on Wednesday from the Nabinagar Housing area under Mohammadpur Police Station by a joint operational team of CID’s Dhaka Metro South Unit and LIC Branch, said Special Superintendent of Police (SP) of CID (Media) . According to case details, on July 18, 2024, at around 5:00 pm, violence erupted at Shantinagar Mor and Siddheshwari New Circular Road area under Ramna Police Station during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. At that time, Liza Akhter, who was standing on the balcony of a 14th-floor flat of Kanif Tower, was hit by a bullet. She was rushed to hospital in a critical condition and later died on July 22, 2024, while undergoing treatment at Popular Hospital in Dhanmondi. Following the incident, Ramna Model Police Station (DMP) registered a case (No. 01 dated September 5, 2024) under sections 143/147/323/307/302/114/34 of the Penal Code along with sections 3/4/6 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908. Preliminary investigation revealed that on the day of the incident, accused Mahtab Hossain Rudra was present with helmet-wearing Awami League activists, including local leader Mostafa Zaman Papi, and took part in violent activities aimed at suppressing the movement. After the incident, the accused went into hiding. Based on a tip-off, CID arrested him from the Mohammadpur area. The case is currently under investigation, and further legal action will be taken upon completion of the probe.