Arrestees put blame on other Biman men
All five arrestees, including three Biman officials, yesterday denied having links with any gold smuggling racket, and claimed before magistrates that other Biman officials might be involved with such rackets, according to court sources.
In their confessional statements, three of them mentioned the names of two Biman captains saying they may have links with gold smuggling rings.
Biman insiders said the two officials whose names came up in the confessional statements are very influential in the national carrier for their close relations with the Biman chairman.
The two control recruitment of pilots, promotions and even lease of aircraft in exchange for huge commission, they alleged.
The duo also had close relations with Biman chairman's “godson” and influential Biman contractor Mahmudul Haque Palash, who is among the five arrestees.
The other arrestees are Capt Abu Mohammad Aslam Shaheed, chief of planning and scheduling, Emdad Hossain, deputy general manager (flight services), and Tozammel Hossain, manager (scheduling) and Harunur Rashid, owner of “Farhan Money”, a money exchange firm in Uttara.
The magistrates sent them to jail after recording their statements.
In a 12-hour operation at Shahjalal International Airport, Uttara and Bashundhara since November 18 evening, detectives arrested the five for their alleged links with a gold smuggling racket.
Talking to The Daily Star on Thursday, Biman Chairman Jamal Uddin Ahmed denied having any relations with Palash. He, however, said Palash had approached him for help on several occasions, and he told him that he wouldn't do anything beyond the rules.
Sources said some influential people have links with the gold smuggling syndicate.
Investigators said they have got names of around 200 people who are involved in gold smuggling, and there might be more.
Of the 200 suspects, three are of the status of general manager at Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
The Detective Branch of police is verifying the information, and plans to launch another drive soon to arrest other suspects.
Wishing anonymity, a DB official said a quarter is lobbying them for the arrested people and also for those whose names came up as suspects.
Another investigator said they were trying to unmask all culprits behind the smuggling syndicates. This will take some more time.
The detectives are also probing the claims that the money obtained from sale of smuggled gold is used in militant financing. But they have no specific information about it.
Another official involved in the probe said they were focusing on the arrestees' links, and might recommend freezing bank accounts of the suspects.
PROBE COMMITTEE FORMED
The civil aviation ministry yesterday formed a one-member body to investigate the recent incident involving the national carrier.
Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Munim, additional secretary of the ministry, would run the committee, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon told The Daily Star.
“Not all officials and employees of Biman are corrupt. There is nothing to be worried about,” he said.
The committee has been asked to submit report in 15 working days.
2 BIMAN STAFFS ARRESTED
Four people, including two motor transport operators of Biman, have been arrested in the capital's Uttara area for possessing tiger skin.
Acting on a tip-off, Uttara Model Police arrested Biman staffs Iqbal Kabir and Mohammad Ali Zinnah along with smugglers Abdullah and Ainul Huq from a house at sector-4 in Uttara around 2:00pm yesterday.
Abdullah told police that he had given Zinnah the tiger skin to have it smuggled out of the country, said Ali Hossain Khan, officer-in-charge of Uttara Model Police Station.
Police later seized the tiger skin from Zinnah's locker at Shahjalal International Airport.
A case was filed with the Airport Police Station in the afternoon in this connection.
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