Dhaka: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has filed a case naming six individuals and five to seven unknown persons on charges that include laundering Taka 608 crore through gold smuggling.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Financial Crime Unit of the CID lodged the case under sections 4(2)/4(4)/8(2) of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012 (Amended 2015) with Kotwali Police Station on Tuesday. The accused in the case are Manindra Nath Biswas, Wahiduzzaman, Md. Golam Sarwar Azad, Md. Tariqul Islam alias Ripon Fakir, Rajib Sardar, and Ujjwal Kumar Sadhu. They face allegations of financial fraud with US citizens, hundi operations, and money laundering.
Special Superintendent of Police (Media), Bangladesh Police, CID, Dhaka Jasim Uddin Khan, confirmed the filing of the case. The CID is investigating the case to uncover the full mystery behind it, identify the other unknown accused, and bring all involved to justice. The investigation began following a complaint from a US citizen defrauded by a Bangladeshi citizen, spurred by communication between US and Bangladeshi intelligence agencies.
The CID’s investigation found that the fraudsters had developed a relationship with American citizen Deborah Johnston Ramlow ‘Debi’ through various means. They embezzled 2,22,000 US dollars by impersonating the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), forcing the victim to send the money to Bangladeshi students in America through deception and blackmail. The accused then received funds from these students’ guardians in Bangladesh into bank accounts of various institutions.
The accused have allegedly been involved in hundi activities for an extended period, opening bank accounts under various organization names to conduct large-scale money transactions. Organizations identified in the investigation include Inox Fashion, Bhai Bhai Enterprise, Zaman Enterprise, and Noah Enterprise. Illegal transactions were also detected in accounts in the name of Manindra Nath Biswas.
During the probe into the US citizen’s complaint, the CID also uncovered the accused’s involvement in gold smuggling. They reportedly collected scrap gold from individuals returning from the Middle East and shops in Dhaka’s Tanti Bazar, melted it down, and transformed it into polished gold bars for smuggling. The gold bars were mainly smuggled into India via the Satkhira border, with the initial investigation revealing that these activities resulted in the transfer and conversion of over Taka 608.33 crore.