Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested Regent Hospital Chairman Mohammad Shahed from Shakhra Komorpur border in Debhata upazila of Satkhira district early Wednesday on charge of issuing fake Covid-19 certificates.
Tipped off, a team of Rab-6 arrested Shahed from the bordering area around 5:20 am, said Lieutenant Colonel Ashik Billah, director (media) of Rab Headquarters.
Rab members also recovered a firearm and some bullets from his possession, he said.
Shahed was brought back to Dhaka around 9 am in a helicopter of the Air Wing of the elite force.
Briefing reporters at Tejgaon helipad in the capital, Additional Director General (ADG) of Rab Col Tofael Mostafa Sarwar said the elite force had been following Shahed for the last nine days to arrest him as he was frequently changinghis locations.
Based on secret information, a team of Rab intelligence wing with the help of local Rab-6 Battalion arrested Shahed from a boat while he was trying to flee to the neighbouring country, he said.
Some local `dalals` (brokers), including Bachchu Dalal, were helping him flee to India, Mostafa Sarwar said.
Though the brokers escaped sensing the presence of the elite force, Rab conducted another drive to arrest them, he added.
“We`ve interrogated him primarily and scrutinising his statement. Besides, we`ve some information and works to do on it,“ said the Rab ADG.
Earlier on Tuesday, the elite force arrested managing director of the Regent Hospital Masud Parvezfrom Gazipur district.
Regent Hospital Chairman Mohammad Shahed had been on the run after the law enforcers raided the Mirpur and Uttara branches of Regent Hospital on July 6 on charge of issuing fake Covid-19 certificates and charging the admitted patients exorbitant fees.
The Regent Group head office along with both the hospitals was sealed off and 16 people, including the chairman, were sued on charge of issuing fake coronavirus test reports.
Besides, a case was filed against Shahed on July 14 on charge of embezzling more than Tk 91 lakh from a transport exporter in Chattogram. –UNB, Dhaka.
