The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested Haridas Chandra, alias Tarani Das, the organiser behind a Ram idol construction project in Gaibandha’s Palashabri, in a money laundering case.
He was arrested around 12:30 am on Sunday near Radha Gobinda Kali Mandir in Madhya Ramchandrapur village, under the Upazila's Hosenpur union, bdnews24.com reports.
Palashbari Police chief Sarwar Alam Khan said on Monday that CID officers arrested Haridas in a case filed with Uttara West Police Station in Dhaka.
"He has been taken to the capital.”
The officer added that additional police had been deployed around the temple area and the situation remained normal.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch chief Shafiqul Islam said Haridas was arrested following the CID's requisition.
CID Special Superintendent of Police (Media) Jasim Uddin Khan said the agency had taken custody of Haridas.
A CID statement said its Financial Crime Unit filed the case against Haridas over alleged money laundering of Tk 93.5 million.
The agency said it conducted a preliminary investigation after allegations of involvement in government job-related fraud, transfers, Hundi transactions and organised crime surfaced against him.
The investigation found that the money had been deposited into his bank and mobile financial service (MFS) accounts despite no known legitimate source of income, it added.
The CID said Haridas withdrew almost the entire amount, describing the transactions as “suspicious”.
It added that large sums of money were deposited into his accounts by people from different parts of the country, which did not match his known profession.
