Rab raids money exchange firms, seizes Tk 1cr bills
Moneychangers say Tk 3cr taken away, claim money was authorised
Staff Correspondent
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) yesterday raided 11 money exchange firms in Purana Paltan in the capital and seized some Tk 1 crore in what it claimed were unauthorised local and foreign currencies.Rab officials said the currencies were seized, as many moneychangers were possessing amounts of money higher than permitted. Plainclothes members of Rab-4 raided Shokh Shopping Complex in the area at about 3:00pm on information that a gang at the market is involved with laundering and currency smuggling in the guise of moneychangers. Additional forces led by Lt Humayun, senior assistant director of Rab, rushed to the spot and joined the two-hour operations. Rab arrested Jahangir, Taslim, Palash, Hanif, Chhoton, Reaz and Tobarak Hossain in the raid. Rab officials said most of the arrestees were found to have hidden currencies inside their socks and shoes. The law-enforcers also recovered a number of buckets full of money and some currencies from toilets of the market. Rab estimates put the seized amount at around Tk 1 crore, but the moneychangers claimed it was no less than Tk 3 crore. Many owners and customers of the money exchange firms, however, manage to flee with their currencies, the Rab officials told journalists. As the Rab team launched a search, the moneychangers closed their firms, prompting the law-enforcers to break open the doors. The Rab men also broke the cash drawers and iron safes of the firms in search of foreign currencies. The firms raided are Bakiul Money Exchange, Alam Money Exchange, Shirin Enterprise, Hoque Money Exchange, New Janata Money Exchange, Meximco Money Exchange, Chawkbazar Money Exchange, Eastern Union Money Exchange, Puff Money Exchange, Neutral Money Exchange and Kamrul Money Exchange. Some customers and moneychangers said the seized currencies were not illegal. "I drew the money from a bank and went to a money changing shop to convert it into taka when the Rab men raided the shop," said Tobarak Hossain. Another customer, Palash, said he came to the market to exchange 1,500 euro that his brother had sent for him from Italy. Owner of a money exchange firm on condition of anonymity said the Rab men seized Tk 6 lakh and US $411 from his shop although he had documents from the Bangladesh Bank. A Rab press release said a team of Rab-2 on Monday raided Standard Money Exchange at Dilkusha and seized Tk 50,000 in forged 500-taka notes from the possession of one Abdul Awal of Narsingdi. The Rab men believe owner of the firm, Sirajul Islam Molla, does business in forged money in the guise of a moneychanger.
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