Staff Reporter :
Regent Group Chairman Mohammad Shahed Karim can no longer leave the country as the government has imposed a travel ban on him in connection with issuing fake coronavirus test results at Regent Hospital, according to the police.
Concerned department of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) issued a letter to immigration police in this regard.
Earlier, a case has been filed against 17 people, including Regent Group Chairman Shahed, with Uttara West Police Station.
On Tuesday night, Inspector Zulhas Mia of RAB-1 filed a case against Regent Gtoup Chairman Md Shahed, its Managing Director Masud Parvez and 15 others on charges of issuing fake Covid-19 test results and charging patients for the test with Uttara West Police Station.
Before the case was filed, the authorities of Regent Hospital were asked to shut down their Uttara branch after a mobile court found discrepancies and sealed off the head office and Uttara and Mirpur branches of the private hospital.
The Ministry of Health however, has called for an explanation on how Regent Hospital got the certificate to become a Covid-19 dedicated hospital without renewing its license.
A letter signed by Umme Habiba, Senior Assistant Secretary of the Health Ministry, was sent to the director general of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) seeking an explanation of the matter.
It instructed the health directorate to scrap its deal with Regent Hospital and shut all activities of the facility. The letter also ordered the directorate to send a report to the Ministry immediately after investigating the allegations of door-to-door sample collections and the handing-out of false reports by the hospital.
The Bangladesh Bank on Thursday froze the bank accounts of Regent Group Chairman Mohammad Shahed and his associates.
The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) under the central bank gave the order sending letters to all the scheduled banks on Thursday.
Besides, the Anti-Corruption Commisison (ACC) will soon start an investigation into the allegations of irregularities and corruption against Regent Hospital Chairman Mohammad Shahed alias Shahed Karim.
ACC Secretary Mohammad Delwar Bakth came up with the information on Thursday while talking to journalists at the commission’s headquarters in the capital.
On Thursday morning, RAB arrested Shahed’s associate Tariqul Islam from Nakhalapara and seized some documents, said Sujoy Sarker, Assistant Director of RAB’s Legal and Media wing.
Sujoy Sarker, Deputy Director (media) of RAB Headquarters, said Tariqul Islam alias Tareque Shibli was arrested in a drive conducted in Nakhalpara area of the capital around 11am.
With Tariqul, Rab so far arrested nine staffers of Regent Hospital. Eights others, who were arrested during a drive on Monday, are on five-day remand.
Earlier, on Monday, the Uttara and Mirpur offices of the Regent Hospital were raided under the leadership of Executive Magistrate Sarwoer Alam of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) mobile court.
The hospital was deceiving and extorting money from general people by providing them Covid-19 certificates without conducting any tests. RAB’s mobile court found evidence of at least 6,000 fake Covid-19 test certificates.
A day later, on Tuesday, RAB sealed off the head office of Regent Hospital with directives from DGHS. A case has been filed against 17 people, including Regent Group Chairman Shahed, with Uttara West Police Station.
