The police arrested Abdur Rashid, central president of the Bangladesh Auto Major and Husking Mill Owners’ Association and one of Kushtia’s most influential rice traders on Tuesday evening in connection with a fresh fraud case, adding to at least 19 pending cases against him.
He was detained in a targeted police operation at Bottail in Kushtia town.
Kushtia police officer-in-charge Mosharraf Hossain said that the arrest stemmed from a Tk 53.5 lakh fraud complaint filed Saturday by an official of the Akij Group, a large conglomerate in the country.
‘Rashid was already a wanted man in multiple fraud cases. The latest complaint gave us the actionable lead we needed. We moved swiftly and took him into custody,’ the OC said.
‘He was produced before the court today,’ he said on Wednesday.
He had maintained long-standing business relations with Akij Group, OC Mosharraf further said, adding that the new case alleged he diverted company funds through fraudulent transactions.
Following his evening arrest, Rashid was held overnight in police custody and was produced before the Kushtia Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday morning.
The court sent him to jail.
