A hidden bank locker belonging to the ousted prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, was on Wednesday seized by the Central Intelligence Cell of the National Board of Revenue, revenue officials said.
Officials said the locker was at the Pubali Bank鈥檚 Sena Kalyan Bhaban branch under Hasina鈥檚 name.
The Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League regime was ousted on August 5 past year in a mass uprising. Sheikh Hasina fled to India on the day.
Regarding the seized locker, NBR chairman Abdur Rahman Khan told the media that action would be taken in this regard as per the law.
鈥楥IC and VAT detectives are working separately in this regard. They will be the best to say whether further operations in this regard will be conducted,鈥� he added.
According to officials, the locker number is 128 and Sheikh Hasina has one of the two keys to this locker.
The CIC could not open the locker as both the keys are needed to open it, they said.
鈥楢s the locker can only be opened by both the keys and Hasina is now a fugitive, we will proceed in line with the law to open the locker,鈥� the officials said.
They said that the locker might contain gold ornaments and essential documents.
The locker was seized based on intelligence information, they added.
According to NBR officials, Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 bank accounts were found at that branch of Pubali Bank, where one account had Tk 12 lakh in FDR and another had Tk聽44 lakh.
These accounts have now been frozen. Withdrawal of money has been banned.
Officials said the tax authorities had frozen Hasina鈥簊 bank accounts as part of their investigation.
The move comes as the NBR launched an inquiry into the allegations of tax evasion by the deposed prime minister.
