Elite police unit Rapid Action Battalion has arrested BNP leader Nur Uddin Apu in relation to the Tk 180 million that they recovered in cash and cheque from Dhaka’s Motijheel area.
RAB-1 commander Lt Col Sarwer Bin Kashem told Bangla Tribune that Apu was arrested from United Hospital on Friday (Jan 4) evening.
Apu who ran on for the Shariatpur-3 constituency on a BNP ticket was also the convicted acting chief Tarique Rahman’s personal assistant.
On Tuesday (Dec 25), RAB arrested export-import firm and contractor United Corporation’s Managing Director Ali Haider with Tk 80 million in cash and Tk 100 million in cheque from Motijheel’s City center.
The subsequent money laundering filed with Motijheel police named Apu as one of the suspects and the CID is probing the matter.
RAB said that the money was brought illegally from abroad to influence the parliamentary elections.
They also arrested Apu owned Amena Enterprise officials Joynal Abedin and Alamgir Hossain and export-import firm and contractor United Corporation’s Managing Director Ali Haider.
Joynal had close links to the ‘Hawa Bhaban’ the centre of power during the BNP-Jamaat regime.
United Corporation has been involved in transactions worth millions that are being channelled to Jamaat-BNP, RAB officials said.
They said that the owners of the three organization involved in the matter are all BNP activists and leaders.
There are also allegations of gold smuggling against United Corporation owner Mahmudul Hasan and United Enterprise owner Atikur Rahman is the Jhalakathi Chatradal President.
The law enforcing agency official said that these corporation released around Tk 1.5 billion after which the violence started and that the money was sponsoring the violence in the country.
They said that the money had been wired from Dubai through Hundi and that the Apu had received Tk 6 million from here after which the violence started.