Shahed’s gang delivered ‘accident’ victims

A middle-aged man from Sylhet's Companiganj came to the capital's Uttara at his relative's house in May last year. He was waiting for a rickshaw in front of Regent Hospital when a car hit him from behind.

His leg was injured in the incident. He had to get treatment at a cabin for just one day at the hospital, yet the bill was around Tk 50,000.

Asked, the hospital authorities told him that he was treated in an ICU.

To solve the problem, he called his relative -- an additional deputy commissioner of police.

The police official later intervened and escorted him to Mohakhali before he was put on a Sylhet-bound bus.

"We later came to know that the Regent Hospital used to charge horrifying bills -- charging ICU bills for the patients who doesn't even need it," said the ADC.

The law enforcing agencies later found that Regent Hospital owner Mohammad Shahed had a gang, surrounding his hospital who trapped people in "accidents" and got them into the hospital for treatment.

On July 7, a mobile court of Rab sealed off Regent Hospital, owned by Shahed, in the capital's Uttara on charges of issuing several thousand fake Covid-19 test certificates and swindling a huge amount of money.

Since then, many fraudulent acts by him have been unfolding.

Hotel Milina is one of the 20 hotels in the capital that are listed for the quarantine of physicians treating patients with coronavirus.

Hotel Milina building owner and business partner said, a contract was signed with Shahed in November last year. As per the contract, he had to pay Tk 7 lakh per month. Since then Shahed paid only Tk 20 lakh, and then barred the building owner to enter the hotel. He took hold of it.

"How can I fight with him?" the helpless building owner said.

Kazi Shafiqul Alam, deputy commissioner of Detective Branch (DB) Uttara division, said the other agencies like the CID and ACC are investigating Shahed's money related cases. However, they are receiving various fraudulent complaints about Shahed one after another.

Shahed was arrested from bordering areas of Satkhira on Wednesday. Yesterday was the second day of 10-day remand for him.

Meanwhile, the detective branch of police came up with another such act of his fraudulence yesterday.

Shahed got the approval of a so-called organisation "Alfred Global Factory Limited" and was providing low quality PPE with sub-contract by opening a page on Facebook in the name of fake organisation.

"In reality, there is no such organisation," Abdul Baten, additional commissioner (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police told reporters yesterday.

Based on the interrogation, the DB official said that information of Shahed's various fraud activities are coming up.

"We also got more information about his fraudulence in contracting business. Shahed said that five cases have been filed in this regard with several police stations including Uttara in the capital."

Asked how a non-existent organisation was allowed to supply PPE from the health department, the DB official said the Directorate General of Health Services could better explain it.

Shahed is facing over 50 cases, including for, money laundering and embezzlement of public money. He has already served in jail for embezzling money. Most of the cases were filed under Section 420 of the Penal Code.

Meanwhile, on Friday, Rab formed an investigating wing at its HQ to provide support to the victims, cheated by Shahed.

The victims can give information, file complaints or seek legal support regarding the Regent Hospital issue by calling 01777720211 number of the investigating wing.

Lt Col Ashique Billah, director of Rab's legal and media wing, told The Daily Star last evening that they received calls from 72 victims who claimed that they were cheated by Shahed.

Besides, Rab received 20 emails which contained complaints about Shahed.

Asked, what type of allegations were those, the Rab official said that most of the complaints were money related fraudulence.