The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case against former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed and four others for obtaining passports through fraud.
The case was filed at the ACC’s integrated district office in Dhaka on Monday.
ACC Public Relations Officer Akhtarul Islam confirmed the matter.
Last July, the ACC issued a notice to Benazir Ahmed and his family members to declare their assets.
What was found during the search of Benazir’s Purbachal house
After searching the house of former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed in Purbachal of Rupganj Upazila of Narayanganj, the district administration has made a list of the items inside.
After about four hours of search, the administrative officials said that they did not find anything luxurious in this house. All the items inside were ‘local products’.
Today, Wednesday at 1 pm, the District Commissioner and the ACC team entered the house. Ansar and police personnel were deployed at the main gate of the house to ensure that no one could enter the house during the search. Journalists were also not allowed to enter at that time.
After the search, Additional Deputy Commissioner Shafiqur Alam said, ‘This is a residential building. We’ve got all the stuff a family gets. We got things like tea cups, furniture, TV in the kitchen. We have made a list of these.’
In response to a question, he said, ‘These furniture also seem to be of normal quality. Everything was local product. Walton had TV and AC. Got some showpieces, some books, sofa set too.’
ADC Shafiqur, when asked about the ban on entry of journalists, said, ‘The entry of journalists was restricted so that we could collect the information accurately.’
However, saying that nothing in this house will be confiscated, he said, ‘We are not confiscating them. According to the court’s instructions, we will present the list of what is here to the court.
When asked, Moinul Hasan Roshni, deputy director of ACC district office, said, ‘We have listed what was found in this house. Earlier I could not enter this house due to digital lock. The lock was opened today in the presence of the magistrate.’
Earlier, the court ordered the seizure of the former IGP’s assets acquired through undisclosed income by abuse of power. According to the direction of the court, a team consisting of the district administration and the ACC raided the house last Saturday afternoon. A ‘croc notice’ was later hung in front of the house.
The house named Savana Eco Resort Private Limited has been built on 24 khata land of six plots of Police Anand Housing Society in Gutiab Mauza of Dakshinbagh area of Purbachal. The resort is bordered by barbed wire Inside is a luxurious ‘duplex home’. Benazir’s daughter Farheen Rishta bint Benazir has been mentioned as the owner of the resort in the ‘Croc Notice’ issued by the administration.
Shafiqur Alam also led that campaign on Saturday. Moinul Hasan Roshni was also present.
After the operation, Shafiqur informed the reporters, ‘On the order of the Dhaka Special Judge Court, the property named Savanna Eco Resort Private Limited has been assigned the responsibility of maintenance and supervision to the District Commissioner of Narayanganj. We have taken control of this property on the orders of the Deputy Commissioner.
Locals said that this land was bought in the name of Anand Housing Society from a Hindu family in Dakshinbagh area. Later he built a duplex house on this land. Benazir Ahmed often brought relatives and friends to this house.
However, no one has come here for the last three months, said Ratan Mia, who is in charge of looking after the house.
Ramdhan Sarkar, son of the late Premanand Sarkar, the former owner of the resort land in Benazir along the Demra-Ichapura road in Purbachal, said that after the death of Premanand Sarkar, four brothers became the owners of the land.At least 10 years ago, the land was filled with sand by Police’s Anand Housing Society. Later, 55 percent of the land was bought at the rate of one crore Bigha.
Ramdhan said, ‘We did not want to sell this land. I also interrupted the time of sandblasting. But what else can be done with Tago Log. Later I sold without seeing any other way. Benazir later built a house on that land.’