[WATCH NOW] Apan Jewelers raided, Gulshan outlet sealed

The Gulshan outlet of Apan Jewellers was shut down following a raid at five of its branches today in search of “dirty money” following the lead of Ahmed Shafat’s bragging about gold smuggling.

Customs Intelligence officials carried out the raids today throughout Dhaka and looked into the source of gold and diamonds stored in the custody of Apan Jewellers – owned by Shafat’s father.

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The raid was carried out in Gulshan, Uttara, Mouchak and Shimanto Square outlets.

“They could not provide valid documents for all the jewels and gold,” Moinul Khan, director general of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID), told The Daily Star.

The officials sealed one of the two showrooms in Gulshan as it was closed during the raid. The showroom will be investigated later in presence of the staff, he said. 

The company came on the radar hot on the heels of the rape incident that surfaced earlier this month. Shafat and his associates said to have raped two university girls in a hotel on March 28.

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Shafat said to have bragged about smuggling gold during the incident.

Two of the accused – Ahmed Shafat and Shadman Sakif – have been arrested. Police said they found evidence of rape from the testimonial provided by the arrestees during interrogation.

While a court has placed the duo in remand, police are hunting for three others – Nayeem Ashraf alias Halim, Shafat’s driver Billal, and his bodyguard Abul Kalam Azad.

Tax officials of Dhaka south and North along with Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) forces jointly conduct the drives at the outlets of Apan Jewelers on May 14, 2017. It will also be investigated whether the shop dodged any payable taxes. The photo was taken at the shop's Mouchak outlet in Dhaka. Photo: Palash Khan