Jamaat leader’s arrest with cash ‘stage-managed drama’, party claims
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair on Wednesday claimed the arrest of Thakurgaon district Jamaat Ameer Belal Uddin with a large amount of cash as a `stage-managed drama by law enforcers’.
Speaking at an emergency press conference at the party’s central office in Moghbazar, he claimed that the recovered money was not related to the election but was linked to Belal Uddin’s personal business transactions. UNB News
He alleged that law enforcement agencies had fabricated the incident.
“It is a stage-managed drama by some law enforcement members. He (Belal) has already clarified that he travels for business purposes. As banks were closed, he had to carry out transactions in cash. That is why he had some money with him. This is very normal,” Zubair said.
A businessman may carry cash for family or other legitimate needs, he said, adding, “Even in a restricted area like an airport, where movement is limited, a drama has been staged claiming he was carrying money for a specific purpose, and various news reports are being circulated to give it a different meaning.”
Zubair said Belal Uddin, a senior and responsible leader, fell ill due to ‘mental torture’ following the incident and is now undergoing treatment at a hospital. “We firmly state that Jamaat-e-Islami conducts its policymaking activities with utmost transparency,” he added.
He alleged that the incident was being deliberately used to divert attention and mislead the public, reiterating that the money was not election-related but belonged to Belal Uddin’s business.
The Jamaat leader also claimed that candidates, polling agents and party leaders are facing attacks in different parts of the country. “Various conspiracies are being carried out to create panic among voters,” he said, alleging that some members of the administration were favoring a particular party.
“If the administration deviates from neutrality, people will not spare anyone,” he warned.
Earlier in the day, police detained Belal Uddin at Saidpur Airport in Nilphamari with a large sum of cash. During preliminary interrogation, police said the total amount seized was estimated at around Tk 50 lakh.