Bangla Press Desk: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has filed a case against six individuals and several unnamed associates over laundering Tk 608 crore through gold smuggling, hundi (informal money transfers), and a fraud scheme that targeted a US national.
The case was lodged by CID's Financial Crime Unit with Kotwali Police Station in Dhaka today, according to a statement issued by Special Superintendent of Police (Media) Jasim Uddin Khan.
The six named accused are Manindra Nath Biswas, 50; Wahiduzzaman, 52; Golam Sarwar Azad, 51; Tariqul Islam alias Ripon Fakir, 49; Rajib Sardar, 37; and Uzzal Kumar Sadhu, 38.
According to CID, the group laundered hundreds of crores by transferring, converting, and acquiring assets under different names.
Authorities said the ring was uncovered after a tip-off from US intelligence shared with Bangladeshi counterparts, following a complaint that an American citizen had been scammed by the accused.
The suspects allegedly posed as officers of the US Drug Enforcement Administration and tricked the American into sending $222,000 (about Tk 2.7 crore).
Beyond the fraud, CID investigators found the group had long been running a hundi network, using bank accounts registered under firms to move large sums.
The probe also revealed their involvement in gold smuggling. Investigators said the suspects collected scrap gold from Middle East returnees and local shops in Dhaka's Tanti Bazar, melted it into bars, and smuggled it mainly into India through the Satkhira border.
BP/TD
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