Regent Group chairman Shahed placed on 10-day remand
Regent Group chairman Md Shahed and its managing director Masud Parvez were placed on 10-day remand each in a case filed over issuing fake Covid-19 test results and charging patients for the tests and treatment, violating an agreement with the government.
Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Jasim passed the order after SM Gaffarul Alam, an inspector of Detective Branch (DB) of police and also the investigation officer of the case, produced them before the his court with a 10-day remand prayer.
The duo were wearing bullet proof vests and helmets when they were produced before the court.
In the remand prayer, the IO said, as per the direction of Shahed and Parvez, the other accused made fake Covid-19 rest results and provided those to the patients.
Moreover, they charged patients for the tests and treatment despite having an agreement with the government on carrying out tests and providing treatment for free. So, they need to be remanded to find out vital clues behind such offences and to know whereabouts of others responsible persons, the IO added.
On the other hand, defence submitted a petition seeking bail along with cancellation of the remand prayer.
After hearing both sides, the magistrate rejected their bail petitions and issued the remand.
During today's hearing, Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Abdullah Abu told the court that Shahed was playing with lives of people and through their activities they tarnished the image of the government at home and abroad.
The court also placed Regent Group Public Relations Officer Tariqul Islam alias Tareq Shibl on a seven-day remand in the same case. He was placed on a five-day remand on July 10 that ended yesterday.
Shahed, accused in over 56 cases, was arrested near the Labangabati river at Debhata upazila in Satkhira around 5:30am yesterday. Wearing a burqa, he was attempting to flee to India via a boat. Later, he was flown to Dhaka by a helicopter.
The arrest came two days after a Dhaka court issued arrest warrants for him in two fraud cases filed over misappropriation of Tk 3.68 crore.
Masud Parvez was arrested on July 14 from Gazipur.
Seven other accused were also sent to jail after they were interrogated for five days.
The court also rejected bail petition of another 17-year-old accused and sent him to Tongi Children Correctional Centre as the IO did not submit any remand prayer for him.
In the early hours of July 8, Inspector Zulhas Mia of Rab-1 filed the case with Uttara Paschim Police Station against Md Shahed, Masud Parvez and 15 others.
Before the case was filed, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) directed the authorities of Regent Hospital to shut down their Uttara branch after a mobile court on July 7 sealed off the head office and Uttara branch of the private hospital.
The other accused in the case went into hiding since the case was filed against them.
Executive Magistrate Sarwoer Alam, who led the drive, said the hospital authorities issued more than 10,000 Covid-19 test results. Around 4,200 samples were tested at different government labs, but they threw away the rest of the samples, prepared fake reports and handed those to people.
The hospital authorities took Tk 3,500 for each test, meaning they embezzled more than Tk 3.5 crore, despite having an agreement with the government on conducting tests and providing free treatment, Sarwoer had said.
The drive began after Rab received complaints about 14 reports provided by the hospital which were verified as fake by Institute of Public Health.
However, the Uttara branch's Managing Director Mizanur Rahman filed a general diary with Uttara West Police Station on July 3, claiming that a vested quarter was taking money and collecting samples for Covid-19 test from suspected patients by identifying themselves as Regent Hospital.
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