BB fund heist: CID team to visit Philippines tomorrow

A three-member team of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will visit Philippines tomorrow night to coordinate with Philippine authorities on the money-laundering case over heist at Bangladesh Bank reserve account.

The team, comprising of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Saiful Islam, Special Superintended of CID Mirza Abdullahel Baqui and Additional Superintended of CID Raihan Uddin Khan, will leave Dhaka at 11:00pm tomorrow, said CID officer Abdullahel Baqui.

He said that the team will meet the Philippine intelligence units and bank officials. They will scrutinise the information they have got so far from the country, Baqui added.

Another three-member team will also visit Sri Lank in this regard day after tomorrow, the CID officer said.

The team includes: Special Superintended of CID Jannat Ara, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Detective Branch) Senior ASP Nazmul Islam and Assistant Inspector General of Police Headquaters Rafiqul Gani.

Earlier, Bangladesh Ambassador to the Philippines John Gomes said last week that members of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) are due to coordinate with Philippine authorities on the money-laundering case, reports The Manila Times.

"Officials of the CID will coordinate with the BSP [Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas]. They will start their own investigation on how the money entered the country and who are the people involved," Gomes had said.

He said the CID officials will attend the fourth Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on the Bangladesh Bank fund heist on Tuesday, April 5.