In a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the court has sentenced dismissed officer-in-charge (OC) Pradip Kumar Das of Cox's Bazar's Teknaf police station to 20 years and his wife Chumki Karan to 21 years in prison. Chattogram divisional special judge court judge Munsi Abdul Majid announced this verdict on Wednesday afternoon.
ACC lawyer Mahmudul Haque told Prothom Alo that the court sentenced Pradip to 20 years and his wife Chumki to 21 years. At the same time, the court announced the confiscation of houses, cars and flats worth millions of taka purchased in Chumki's name with the money OC Pradip obtained by illegal means, in favour of the state. Both Pradip and Chumki were present in the court when the verdict was pronounced.
Earlier, Pradip and Chumki were brought to the court in tight security. Later they were taken to prison.
Pradeep's lawyer Sameer Dasgupta said that on 23 August 2020, assistant director of the ACC’s integrated office in Chattogram, Md Riaz Uddin as plaintiff filed a case against Pradip and his wife for acquiring property illegally.
On 26 July last year, the ACC filed a charge sheet against Pradip and Chumki in the court. It stated that Pradip’s wife Chumki Karan is the owner of a six-storey building in Patharghata, a house in Sholoshahar, 45 bhori of gold, a microbus, a car and a flat in Cox’s Bazar.
ACC found movable and immovable assets of Tk 48,064,651 in her possession against a valid and acceptable income of Tk 24,466,234. ACC has found evidence of Chumki Karan acquiring illegal wealth worth Tk 23,598,417. Besides, Chumki also claimed to be a fish trader. However, the ACC couldn’t find any evidence supporting her statement.
In her property statement, Chumki has shown an income of Tk 15 million in between 2002 and 2012 from her fish farm in Boalkhali. However, it was not mentioned in her income tax return. The fish business she mentioned was fake.
On 29 June last year, the Chattogram metropolitan session judge ordered to keep the cars, houses and bank account owned by Pradip’s wife Chumki under the supervision of the state. Later on 15 December, the trial of this case commenced with the formation of charges against Pradip and his wife. The court recorded testimony of 24 of the 29 witnesses. At the end of the hearing of the argument, the court fixed 18 July as the day of declaring the verdict.
Sinha Md Rashed Khan, retired major of Bangladesh Army, was shot dead by the police on 31 July 2020. Two including Pradip were sentenced to death and six others were sentenced to lifetime imprisonment in this case. Cox’s Bazar District and Session Judge Court announced the verdict on 31 January this year.