DB Raids Over Alleged Embezzlement of 28 Million Taka

In a startling development, officers of the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) are facing allegations of embezzling BDT 280 million seized during an operation aimed at recovering counterfeit currency in the capital. Following the claims, a departmental investigation has already been launched to ascertain the facts.

According to sources within the DB, on 8 November last year, an operation was conducted in the Wari area of Dhaka based on a tip-off, which led to the arrest of two individuals—Nurul Haque (32) and Saidul Amin (24), both from Teknaf—alongside the seizure of counterfeit currency and cash.

The initial seizure list documented BDT 6 million in fake notes and BDT 19 million in cash. However, during interrogation, the two detainees alleged that the DB officers had actually confiscated BDT 300 million in cash, implying that BDT 280 million was not recorded in the official seizure list.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner and DB Chief, Shafiqul Islam, confirmed to The Daily Star that the matter is under investigation. Following the allegations, DB Chief Shafiqul Islam ordered a probe into the actions of then-Assistant Commissioner (AC) Tarek Sekandar of the Tejgaon division, who had led the operation. The inquiry was initially entrusted to his superior, then-Acting Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rakib Khan.

Rakib submitted his investigation report on 4 December, but concerns over impartiality prompted senior authorities to order a second investigation, which remains ongoing.

Complicating the case, an incident reportedly occurred just before the submission of Rakib’s report involving Rakib, Tarek, and the operation’s key informant, Didarul Islam. CCTV footage obtained by The Daily Star shows a confrontation outside Hotel Givenchy International in Farmgate on 2 December at 4 a.m., during which Tarek and Rakib were involved in a physical altercation.

Tarek alleged that he had gone to the hotel to recover his missing informant, Didarul, and was assaulted by Rakib. Rakib, however, refuted the claim, stating that no senior officer assaults a junior and suggested that Tarek’s operation may have involved the embezzlement of a large sum of cash.

Didarul’s wife, Momtaz Begum, had filed a general diary (GD) at Ukhiya Police Station in Cox’s Bazar on 1 December reporting him missing on 29 November. The GD was withdrawn on 4 December when Didarul returned home. Hotel records indicate that from 30 November to 2 December, Room 805 was booked under “Mr Didar,” with “DB” noted alongside.

Currently, Rakib Khan serves in the Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit, while Tarek has been transferred to Rangamati following the allegations. The second investigation, overseen by CTTC Joint Commissioner Munshi Sahabuddin, is ongoing, though he declined to comment publicly.

Seized Cash vs Alleged Confiscation

This case has cast a shadow over the DB’s credibility, raising serious questions about internal accountability and transparency in handling large-scale seizures of illicit funds.