Tk 74 lakh seized from Thakurgaon Jamaat leader

NILPHAMARI, Feb 11: Police seized around Tk 74 lakh from the bag of Thakurgaon district Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Belal Uddin Pradhan at Saidpur Airport in Nilphamari on Wednesday.

Following his detention, Belal was first taken to the local Upazila Health Complex after he reportedly fell ill, said Nilphamari Superintendent of Police (SP) Sheikh Zahidul Islam. He was later transferred to Rangpur Medical College Hospital.

A team from the Bangladesh Army detained Belal along with the cash at the airport around 12:00 pm and later handed him over to police, the SP said.

According to police, Belal initially told officers he was carrying more than Tk 50 lakh. The money was later counted under the supervision of an executive magistrate and found to total Tk 74 lakh. Police said Belal had arrived in Saidpur at 10:55 am on a US-Bangla Airlines flight from Dhaka.

Acting on a tip-off, law enforcement conducted a special operation and searched the bag he was carrying, recovering the large sum of cash. Police said Belal was questioned about the source of the money and its intended use.

He claimed the cash was linked to his business activities but has so far failed to produce documents to substantiate the source, police added.

After being detained, Belal reportedly fell ill and was taken by ambulance to Saidpur 100-Bed Hospital before being transferred to Rangpur. He is a resident of Hajipara in Thakurgaon town.

His father is Dabirul Islam. Belal is also a teacher at Thakurgaon Salandar Islamia Kamil Madrasa.

"He is now in police custody. We will interrogate him about the source of the money and its intended purpose," the SP told The Daily Observer.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami described the detention of its Thakurgaon district Ameer along with the cash as a "staged drama orchestrated by law enforcement agencies."

In a statement, the party alleged that the incident was an attempt to tarnish its image and drag it into controversy ahead of the election.