9 cops questioned over seized gold embezzlement

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) today questioned nine policemen including two assistant commissioners as witnesses in connection with the embezzlement of 165 gold bars seized from the capital in mid-march.

ACC Deputy Director Jatan Kumar Roy questioned the lawmen for around seven hours from 9:30am at the anti-graft watchdog’s Segunbagicha head office in Dhaka.

The outcome of the questioning could not be known immediately.

Assistant police commissioners Moinul Islam of the city’s Demra zone and Iqbal Hossain of Motijheel zone were among the policemen.

However, police inspector Rafiqul Islam was also summoned but did not appear before the investigator. The reason could not be known immediately.

Earlier, five persons including Rampura Police Station's sub-inspector (SI) Manjurul Islam, constables Wahiduzzaman and Akash Chowdhury, their source Mahfuz Alam Rony and driver of a police-carrying vehicle Sojib Sikder were interrogated in this connection on May 14.

Detectives held the five on March 31 in connection with the embezzlement. Later, the anti-graft body obtained permission for a three-day remand from the court for the interrogation.

The ACC filed a case against them with Rampura Police Station on April 7.

On March 13, a gang of smugglers abandoned 235 gold bars in a car in Banasree area of the capital after being chased by a police team. But Rampura police recorded seizure of only 70 gold bars.

Surprisingly, the driver of the car, Samir Biswas, along with alleged smuggler Jahid Hossain went to Rampura Police Station to get their car back four days after the incident.

When police arrested the duo, Samir claimed that there had been a total of 235 gold bars in the car, not 70. Later, the three cops of Rampura Police Station were arrested in this connection.

Police high-ups also withdrew the then Officer-in-Charge (OC) Kripa Sindhu Bala and OC (investigation) Nasim Ahmed of Rampura Police Station for hiding the real information of the gold bars.