Ram statue builder Haridas held

Dhaka’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) police have arrested Haridas Chandra Taroni Das, a widely discussed figure from Palashbari, Gaibandha.

A special CID team from Dhaka conducted an operation Sunday night and arrested him from the Sree Sree Radha Govinda Kali Mandir area in Madhya Ramchandrapur in the upazila.

A money laundering case against him exists at Uttara West Police Station in the capital. He was previously arrested by RAB in a fraud case back in 2018.

A Dhaka court has granted a four-day remand for Haridas Chandra Taroni Das in the money laundering case. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ripon Hossain issued the remand order Monday after hearing arguments from both sides.

He was presented before the court Monday afternoon. CID Police Inspector K.M. Rakibul Huda had applied for a seven-day remand. He was then taken to the dock under police guard.

State prosecutor Kabir Hossain argued in favor of the remand, while defense lawyer Shyamal Kumar Roy argued for the remand to be cancelled and for bail.

According to the case filing (FIR), Haridas and two to three unidentified associates allegedly ran an organized “hundi” (informal money transfer) network between January 1, 2020 and June 30, 2026, involved in illegal transactions and transfers of domestic and foreign currency.

The FIR states that CID’s initial investigation found deposits totaling 9.35 crore, 32 thousand, 451 taka from “suspicious sources” across five bank accounts and four mobile financial service (MFS) accounts in Haridas’s name at various times.

The bank accounts were held at two private banks, and the MFS accounts operated through bKash, Nagad, and Rocket.

A subsequent CID press release stated that people from various parts of the country deposited large sums into these accounts, yet no known legitimate source of income was found for Haridas, and these transactions were inconsistent with his profession.

The CID further alleged that Haridas had at times presented himself as a protocol officer for the then-prime minister. To gain people’s trust, he reportedly showed edited photos of himself with the former PM and fabricated recordings of phone calls claimed to be with influential figures.

CID began its preliminary investigation after receiving complaints related to arranging government jobs, transfers, hundi activities, and organized crime. The press release also noted that a prior case existed against him at Banani Police Station under the Digital Security Act and several sections of the Penal Code.

Police said Haridas was detained in the money laundering case, but beyond that, he faces numerous allegations including embezzlement, fraud, religious incitement, and occupation/grabbing of temples, cremation grounds, and land, as well as anti-state conspiracy. Police noted no unrest has occurred in the temple area as a result of this incident – the situation remains normal, with adequate police deployed to maintain order.

The much-discussed “largest Ram statue” installation and construction work in Palashbari, Gaibandha was suspended by the Sree Radha Govinda and Kali Mandir Committee back in June, a decision the committee said was made to control the local law-and-order situation and preserve religious harmony.

Uttara West Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Khalid Mansur confirmed the case, stating a money laundering case was filed at his station on Sunday, with Haridas Chandra named as the accused in the FIR, and that CID’s Financial Crime Unit arrested him.

Palashbari Police Station OC Sarwar-e-Alam Khan confirmed Taroni Das’s arrest, stating a Dhaka CID police team conducted the operation Sunday night and arrested him in the money laundering case, adding that no untoward situation has arisen in the temple area over this incident and law and order remains normal there.