Noman Mosharef :
The investigation officials felt embarrassed while questioning Shahed in remand as he told the name of powerful and influential persons in different sectors in the country. At this moment they are not going to interrogate but to keep them under observation.
Complete reports over the issue including Shahed’s statements in the court will be submitted to the higher authority, source said.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Home Affairs authorized RAB to investigate cases against Regent Hospital owner Shahed.
An investigative officer of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said, although no details were mentioned in the charge sheet, a special report will be submitted by the DMP to the government.
Moreover, almost everyday new complains are coming against Shahed.
Until yesterday RAB received 150 complaints against Shahed after his arrest over Covid-19 test report forgery.
Of them, 130 complaints were reported through the hotline number of RAB opened after they arrested Shahed from Satkhira while he was trying to flee to India.
RAB received 20 other complaints through email, said Lt Col Ashique Billah,
RAB’s Legal and Media wing Director.
Shahed embezzled more than Tk 12 crore from the 150 complainants, the RAB official said quoting the victims.
The allegations include deceiving people in the name of offering government jobs, non-payment of construction of material suppliers and non-payment of bank loans.
Some expatriates and Regent’s employees are among the complainants, Rab said.
Contractor Mohammed Mostafa lives near Regent Hospital in Uttara’s Sector 10. A group of young men in the neighbourhood working in Regent Hospital approached him in February and asked for Tk one million, saying their boss (Shahed) was facing some troubles. They also gave threats before taking him to Shahed.
Shahed didn’t seem like a dubious person when he met him, Mostafa said. He gave him Tk one million and Shahed immediately handed him a cheque to be encashed in the last week of February.
But the cheque bounced when Mostafa deposited it. Then he went to Shahed’s office to talk the matter. He was asked to deposit it later. It was again dishonoured and this time Shahed reproached him for going to the bank without informing him.
When he visited the Regent office again, Mostafa was threatened of dive consequence and asked to drop the matter.
Last year, Shahed signed a contract with Md Karim to supply sand worth Tk one. Karim paid Tk 600,000 to Shahed as security in line with the contract.
They subsequently applied for a bank loan necessary for the procurement and the entire process cost another Tk 400,000, Karim said.
When the bank called Shahed’s office to verify the contract between Shahed and Karim, they found the agreement terminated and cancelled already.
Shahed or his office never informed Karim about the cancellation of the contract, but he came to know about it from the bank. Again, they threatened him when he tried to recover the security payment and other expenses. He later reported the matter to the RAB.
Obaidul Majid, a businessman of Purbachal voiced his frustration at not getting Tk 1.2 million against supply of sand a year ago.
He had signed a contract with Shahed but instead of being paid what he was owed, Majid, too, was threatened of dire consequences.
“I see the frustration in other creditors face as well when I visited Shahed’s office. His men beat up those who protested.”
