Staff Reporter :
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has filed a case against 13 individuals for allegedly laundering Tk608 crore through organised gold smuggling, hundi operations, and large-scale financial fraud.
The case was lodged by the Financial Crime Unit of CID at Dhaka’s Kotwali Police Station under the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012 (amended in 2015), Special Superintendent of Police (Media) Jasim Uddin Khan confirmed in a statement on Tuesday (1 October).
According to the case statement, six accused have been named: Manindra Nath Biswas (50), Wahiduzzaman (52), Md Golam Sarwar Azad (51), Md Tariqul Islam alias Ripon Fakir (49), Rajib Sardar (37) and Ujjwal Kumar Sadhu (38). In addition, five to seven unidentified suspects are also accused.
The CID investigation began following communication between US and Bangladeshi intelligence agencies after a US citizen reported being defrauded. Investigators found that the suspects posed as officials of the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and deceived American national Deborah Johnston Ramlow, also known as “Debi,” extracting $222,000 (approximately Tk2.7 crore).
The money was allegedly funneled into accounts in the names of Bangladeshi students in the US, before being transferred back to Bangladesh through guardians’ deposits.
The CID further revealed that the suspects operated a sophisticated hundi network, using accounts registered under various companies including Inox Fashion, Bhai Bhai Enterprise, Zaman Enterprise, and Noah Enterprise. Substantial illegal transactions were also detected in an account under the name of Manindra Nath Biswas, one of the prime accused.
In addition to financial fraud and hundi activities, the suspects were reportedly engaged in an extensive gold smuggling racket.
According to CID, they sourced scrap gold from Middle Eastern travelers and gold traders in Dhaka’s Tanti Bazar and other markets. The scrap was then melted, refined into bars, and smuggled across the Satkhira border into India.
Preliminary findings suggest the group laundered more than Tk608.33 crore through their combined fraudulent operations. The CID said the suspects had been conducting these activities for a long time, establishing a well-organised network involving both domestic and cross-border contacts.
Authorities stressed that the case marks a significant step in exposing links between financial fraud, illegal remittance systems, and gold smuggling syndicates. The CID said further investigation is underway to identify additional individuals and institutions connected to the laundering network.
