The owner of Apan Jewellers Dildar Ahmed and his two brothers have appeared before the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate to face charges over ‘unexplained’ stocks of gold and diamonds.
Raintree Hotel’s Managing Director HM Adnan Haroon, however, failed to appear before the CIID to answer accusations of illegally keeping alcohol and evading import duties. The lawyers of HM Adnan Haroon, however, asked for more time saying he is sick and not in a position to appear now.
Dildar Ahmed and his two brothers Gulzar Ahmed and Azad Ahmed arrived at the CIID headquarters around 12:00 pm on Wednesday. The media did not get a chance to speak with them.
“Our director formed a team. This team interrogated the Apan Jewellers owners,” CIID Deputy Director Shafiur Rahman told the media.
Advocates Jahangir Kabir and Riaz Ahmed filed a petition with CIID on behalf of Raintree Hotel’s MD, asking for time for one month.
Haroon could not answer the questions after ‘a sudden rise in blood pressure’ on Wednesday morning, said Jahangir Kabir.
“We petitioned for more time over the matter. They set May 23 for the new date.”No medical documents concerning Adnan, who had appeared at a Raintree Hotel press conference on Tuesday, had been submitted.
In the meantime, the CIID Director General Dr Moinul Khan said that the owners of the jewellers could not show any legal documents against 13.5 maunds (about 498 Kg) of seized gold and 427 grams of diamond to the customs officials.
They have been asked to show the legal documents again on May 23, the CIID chief said.
The clients of Apan Jewellers have been asked to withdraw their gold and ornaments’ from the concerned jewellry shops by showing receipts and papers.
We have primarily found link between the dirty money and jewellery business, he said.
But Dildar Ahmed told the journalists that their business was going on in legal process.
“If anybody tries to arrest me in money laundering case, then all jewellery businessmen should be arrested,” he opined.
On the other hand, customs and RAJUk officials claimed that the Raintree Hotel has no permission to run commercially in Banan residential area in the city.
RAJUK-4 authorized officer Alimuzaaman said,There is no chance to approve any commercial building in Banani residential area, and the Raintree Hotel authorities did not take any permission for establishing a hotel for commercial purpose.”
The investigation is likely to be finished soon as the investigators already have gathered vital information from the arrested accused, a detective official said.
The arrested four accused might have given their confessional statement to the court, the police official said.
The law enforcers meanwhile arrested Nayem Ashraf , another accused in the Banani case, he said.
Meanwhile, a Dhaka court on Wednesday asked the Gulshan Police to ensure the security of the Banani two rape victims.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Laskar Hakim Sohel Rana on Wednesday passed the order after considering the appeal of two lawyers of the two rape victims.
On March 28, two private university girls were raped during birthday party at the Raintree Hotel in Banani.
