Dutch-Bangla chamber leader goes missing

Hassan Khaled, president of Dutch-Bangla Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DBCCI), has remained missing since he left his Dhanmondi home Saturday morning, his family and police said.

Hassan, 55, also the chief executive officer of New Era Trading, left home around 9:00am Saturday to buy medicines from a nearby shop but did not return, Noor-a-Azam Miah, officer-in-charge of Dhanmondi Police Station, said yesterday.

Hassan is the resident of House 45 on Road 4/A in Dhanmondi residential area.

The family members could not reach him by phone, as it was found switched off.  They looked for him in different areas of the capital. Failing to trace him, his brother-in-law Shariful Alam filed a general diary (GD) with the police station around 1:00am yesterday.

Sub-Inspector Khairul Bashar is investigating the matter.

Hassan is one of the founders of the DBCCI, established in November 1999, and he has been involved in advocating bilateral trade between Bangladesh and the Netherlands.

He has been residing on the third floor of the six-storey building in Dhanmondi over the last three years with his wife and daughter.

“We went to almost all medicine shops near the residence with his picture. The shop owners said they have not seen him,” said Rashidul Hassan, younger brother of the businessman.

“My brother did not receive any threat from any quarters,” Rashidul said when asked if anyone had threatened the businessman over any issue.

Hassan was supposed to leave for his Eskaton office with his account officer Selim Reza around 9:30am on Saturday. 

Selim, a resident of nearby Jigatola area, came to Hassan's house around 9:10am, Rashidul said.

Talking to The Daily Star, Selim said Hassan had phoned him around 8:30am, asking him to come to his house if he was ready. 

Building's security guard Abul Bashar said Hassan did not take his car when he left to buy medicine though he drives car every day to go to office.

Concerned over Hassan's going missing, the DBCCI board held an emergency meeting yesterday evening. The Board of Directors is seeking earnest cooperation and appropriate steps from law enforcers and other authorities concerned, read a DBCCI press release.  

Nazrul Islam Chowdhury Didar, administrative officer of the DBCCI, said Hassan was elected president of the chamber in October last year. He is also the licensee of the Singapore-based retail company Crocodile International in Bangladesh.

Hassan opened a showroom of Crocodile products at Bashundhara Shopping Mall in the capital in April. He also manufactures Crocodile products like T-shirts, trousers, polo shirts and jeans in different factories in Bangladesh, Nazrul added. 

Currently, DBCCI has 165 members and its office is on the eighth floor at the city's 52/A Hassan Holding at Eskaton. He was not involved with any other chamber before becoming the president of the DBCCI.

The Crocodile office is on the seventh floor of the same building.

The DBCCI has been preparing to arrange a single-country fair scheduled to be held in the Netherlands in September this year.

Nazrul added Hassan was one of the shareholders in the recently closed Chemico Bangladesh Ltd, a factory which used to produce polythene products and export those to the Netherlands.

The Chemico was a joint venture company of four or five shareholders of Bangladesh and the Netherlands.

A senior leader of the apex trade body, the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said Hassan had regular contacts with the federation as an active member.