The Anti-Corruption Commission on Wednesday again conducted a drive at Sadeeq Agro, a cattle-based farm in the capital鈥檚 Mohammadpur, and seized six import banned cows of the Brahman breed.
ACC deputy director for public relations Aktarul Islam told 抖阴精品 that a team of the ACC鈥檚 enforcement unit led by assistant director Abul Kalam Azad conducted the drive and seized the six cows.
After the seizure, the cows were handed over to the custody of the Department of Livestock Services, he added.
ACC officials said that the team went to the customs house at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Tuesday and collected a list of imports of Brahman cows.
After collecting the list, the ACC conducted the fresh drive at Sadeeq Agro in the Mohammadpur area on Wednesday and found the six cows.
On July 1, three separate 15-member teams conducted day-long drives at Central Cattle Breeding and Dairy Farm in Savar and Sadeeq Agro鈥檚 farms in Savar, Mohammadpur, and Narsingdi over allegations of corruption and irregularities.
During the drives, the ACC team found irregularities relating to the slaughtering of 488 cows, the sale of meat, and depositing the money collected as Tk 600 per kilogram of meat in the government treasury.
The team interrogated officials in charge of central cattle breeding and dairy farms over providing undue facilities to Sadeeq Agro and collected necessary documents.
Besides, more than 200 foreign cattle were found on Savar farm of Sadeeq Agro where they also found seven calves of banned Brahman cows.
On the day, another team from the Gazipur Integrated District Office of the ACC conducted a probe into Sadeeq Agro鈥檚 Narsingdi farm.
ACC officials said that Imran Hossain, owner of Sadeeq Agro, imported 18 American Brahman cows in 2021 through a false declaration, as Brahman is forbidden to import.
The cows were kept on central cattle breeding and dairy farms after they were seized by Dhaka Customs at the airport.
In April past year, Sadeeq Agro took responsibility for slaughtering and selling meat at a lower price in the month of Ramadan with some conditions, ACC officials said.
This time, however, the farm has been accused of selling the same type of cow during Eid-ul-Azha, they added.
So, an inquiry is being conducted to find out whether the Brahman cows given to Sadeeq Agro were displayed and sold without being slaughtered, said the ACC officials.
Sadeeq Agro Limited came under scrutiny recently for selling a goat worth Tk 12 lakh to the young son of former National Board of Revenue officer Matiur Rahman.
A subsequent backlash on social media exposed Matiur鈥檚 huge illegal assets, prompting the ACC to launch an inquiry against him.
The Dhaka North City Corporation also carried out a drive against Sadeeq Agro, demolishing a structure it illegally constructed along the Ramchandrapur canal and operating without a trade licence.