Tk 130 a day to owning companies
A man who used to earn Tk 130 per day as a computer operator at Cox's Bazar's Teknaf Land Port in 2001 has amassed crores of taka illegally, Rab said after his arrest yesterday.
While working at the port, the arrestee -- Nurul Islam, 41 -- mastered the techniques of smuggling, evading tax, unloading illegal goods, and tampering documents, Rapid Action Battalion said.
He then formed a racket of brokers and amassed crores of taka over the last two decades, Khandaker Al Moin, Rab's legal and media wing director, said after members of the elite force -- along with an intelligence agency -- arrested him from Dhaka' Mohammadpur early yesterday.
Rab said they seized fake Bangladeshi currency worth 3.46 lakh, Myanmar currency worth 3.80 lakh, Tk 2.01 lakh in cash, and 4,400 pieces of yaba during the drive.
"He has amassed around Tk 460 crore, most of which he earned through illegal means," the Rab director told the press briefing.
Nurul has purchased at least six buildings and flats and 13 plots in Dhaka city. Besides, he has a total of 37 plots and houses in Savar, Teknaf, St Martin's island and Bhola, Moin said.
"To legalise his illegal income, he left his job as computer operator in 2009 and set up at least five companies -- export-import and real estate," he added.
The names of the companies are Al Nahian Enterprise, Miftahul Enterprise, Alka Enterprise, Alka Real Estate and Kaniz Enterprise.
Most of the properties are under the names of Nurul, his wife or his brother, the Rab director said. Nurul recently invested in a plot to build an amusement park in Savar and was also looking to buy a ship.
The Rab official said there are at least 15 persons involved in his racket and that Rab are trying to arrest them.
Rab officials said they also found Nurul to be connected with drug smuggling.
While working as a computer operator till 2009, he built a relationship with clearing and forwarding agents, exporters and importers.
"We have come to know about his involvement with people of different sectors. We will inform the authorities concerned about them and will carry out operations based on evidence," he said replying to a query.
Replying to another query, Moin said Nurul was not directly involved with any political party.
As a computer operator, Nurul had good relations with many businesspersons and port officials and conducted illegal activities with their help, he said.
"In primary interrogation, he however did not give names of any specific persons," the Rab official said, adding they are yet to get names of any members of law enforcement involved with him.
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