Gaibandha Ram idol project organiser held in  money laundering case

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Monday arrested Haridas Chandra, alias Tarani Das, the organiser behind a Ram idol construction project in Gaibandha's Palashbari upazila, in connection with a money laundering case involving Tk 9.35 crore.

Mohammad Sarowar Alam Khan, officer-in-charge of Palashbari Police Station, said Haridas was arrested around 12:30am on Sunday near the Radha Gobinda Kali Mandir in Madhya Ramchandrapur village under Hosenpur Union of the upazila. Haridas is the son of Gopinath Chandra Das of the same village.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ripon Hossain on Monday placed Haridas on a four-day remand after the CID produced him before the court with a seven-day remand prayer, said a sub-inspector of the Prosecution Division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

CID Special Superintendent of Police (Media) Jasim Uddin Khan said the agency had taken Haridas into custody. He added that additional police had been deployed around the temple area and that the situation remained normal.

In a statement, the CID said its Financial Crime Unit filed the case against Haridas over the alleged laundering of Tk 93.5 million. The agency launched a preliminary investigation after allegations surfaced linking him to government job-related fraud, transfer trading, hundi transactions and organised crime.