Nasim Real Estate cheated people of more than Tk 300 crore, says Rab

Nasim Real Estate owner Imam Hossain Nasim embezzled more than Tk 300 crore from unsuspecting people, Rab said today.

Nasim embezzled the money by taking Tk 5 lakh from 5,000 people each, promising them land at his housing project in Savar. In the early 2000s, he took Tk 12.50 lakh and Tk 20 lakh from 250 people to fraudulently register land.

Rab came up with the findings after they arrested Nasim, 60, along with his accomplice and third wife Halima Akter Salma from Dhaka's Rupnagar area yesterday.

Rab claimed to have seized a pistol, Tk 1,35,000 in counterfeit notes, 1,400 pieces of yaba, two bottles of foreign liquor, four sets of walkie-talkie, six passports, 37 bank cheque books and 32 SIM cards from their possession.

"To deceive people, he [Nasim] established the housing project at Kaundia area in Savar by grabbing government land, and land and waterbodies from locals," said Mozammel Haque, commanding officer of Rab-4 at a press briefing at the Rab media centre.

He was wanted in at least 55 cases filed with different police stations on charge of fraudulence and was hiding using different tactics, Rab said.

According to Rab, Nasim worked as contractor from 1978 to 1986, but suddenly became the owner of Nasim Real Estate Company, which he started in 2000.

Nasim has been setting up various companies since 2005 to embezzle money from people in different ways. So far, 16 companies owned by him have been found, Rab claimed.

Rab-4 opened a hotline number (01777710407) where people can report their allegation against Nasim. Rab said they would provide legal assistance to the victims, if they want.