SP, wife have FDRs worth Tk 8.36cr

Subhash Chandra Saha was promoted to the post of Superintendent of Police (SP) of Faridpur, 11 years after passing his BCS exams.

In his new position, which he held onto for eight months, he earned approximately Tk 70,000 per month under the fifth grade of the government pay scale, his highest till date.

A recent investigation by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) however revealed that the SP and his wife have amassed Tk 8.36 crore in only four years, an amount beyond any of their source of income. 

After completion of the investigation, ACC's Assistant Director Abdul Wadud filed a case against the superintendent of police (SP) and his wife Rina Chowdhury with Bangshal Police Station yesterday under the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2012.

According to the case statement, Subhash and his wife jointly opened 19 fixed deposit receipts (FDR) with three branches of One Bank Ltd and deposited Tk 7.97 crore between 2013 and 2017. The accumulated value of the FDRs, including interest, now stands at Tk 8,36,13,367.

The ACC began the inquiry in the middle of the year after an unidentified person filed a complaint against the SP accusing him of amassing huge amount of wealth illegally.  The inquiry report was submitted to the Commission one and half months before filing of the case yesterday, sources said.

Last week, the SP was withdrawn from Faridpur and he was attached to the police headquarters in Dhaka.

Subhash opened an FDR with One Bank's Jessore branch on May 26, 2013 with Tk 32 lakh. On June 10 the same year, he deposited Tk 36 lakh in the same bank. Then, 17 days later, he deposited Tk 18 lakh in One Bank's Elephant Road branch in Dhaka.

Between January 2015 and December 2015, he deposited around Tk 1.16 crore in different branches of One Bank in Dhaka and Jessore. Two transactions with a combined value of Tk 51 lakh happened on the same day in One Bank's Elephant Road branch. 

In the year, 2016, Between January 3 and October 10, he deposited around 2.2 core in different branches of One Bank. Again, two transactions, of TK 75 lakh and 71 lakh respectively, took place in a branch of One Bank in Jessore, on the same day.

In 2017, his total deposits exceeded Tk 2 crore. He also deposited 85 lakh in the Bangshal branch of One Bank, his highest single transaction till date.

ACC examined Subhash's tax return file of 2016-17 fiscal year, where the accused concealed the information of the FDRs.

“That is, while serving in the police department, he earned TK 8,36,13,367 through various corruption and hid the source and ownership of the fund,” reads the FIR.

Having known that Subhash amassed the wealth from illegal means, his wife Rina Chowdhury, a homemaker, opened joint FDRs and concealed the information to abet her husband, it says.

Upon the request of ACC, courts ordered One Bank's Bangshal and Jessore branches to freeze the account and provide necessary information to the commission.

Contacted over phone, Subhash said he was busy and asked to call back later. Afterwards, the correspondent tried several times but he did not pick up the call.

Asked whether he will be suspended, Nurul Islam, Joint Secretary at the home ministry, said they will take action against Subhash in accordance with the law.

Meanwhile, ACC arrested Shahidul Islam, a land assistant officer of Dulla Union Land Office and one Abul Kalam in connection with a case filed for selling government land of Bhaluka of Mymensingh by creating fake documents.

They were arrested from Mymensingh Town Hall intersection.  The case was filed with Bhaluka Police Station yesterday.