'Golden Monir' sued in three cases

'Golden' Monir is being taken away after arresting from his house at Merool Badda in the capital on Saturday morning.
Photo: Sazid Hossain

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has filed three cases against Monir Hossain alias 'Golden Monir' on charges of possessing illegal arms, drugs and foreign currency.

The elite force filed the cases with the Badda police station on Sunday morning.

Badda police station officer-in-charge Md Pervez Islam told Prothom Alo that the cases were filed against Monir under the arms and narcotics acts and the special power act.

He said Monir will be produced before the court today, seeking remand for interrogation.

RAB arrested Monir after a raid at Merool Badda on Saturday. RAB said Monir illegally amassed wealth worth over Tk 1billion

Monir was a salesman in a cloth shop at Gausia Market in the nineties. Later he joined a crockeries shop at Mouchak Market. Driven away from there, he took up airport-based 'luggage managing' work and gold smuggling. He is widely known as 'Golden Monir'.

RAB spokesman lieutenant colonel Ashik Billah said Monir imported and exported different items including fabrics, cosmetics, electronics and computer parts, evading taxes in the beginning after he left his job as a salesman and took up underhand 'luggage managing'. The he gradually became involved in gold smuggling.

After amassing huge amount of wealth through gold smuggling, he manage to gain influence in Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK). He became the owner of several plots, one after another, resorting to forgery. He had became close with section of influential people.

Monir has a six-storey building at Road 11 of the DIT project in Merool Badda in the capital. RAB conducted a raid there at around 11:00pm on Friday. Conducting a raid for about 12 and half hours, RAB at a press conference on Saturday morning disclosed the information of his arrest.

The elite force seized a foreign pistol, four litres of foreign liquor, 32 forged seals, foreign currency worth Tk 800,000, gold of 600 bhari and Tk 10.9 million.

RAB seizes a foreign pistol, four litres of foreign liquor, 32 forged seals, foreign currency worth Tk 800,000, gold of 600 bhari and Tk 10.9 million.
Sazid Hossian

RAB said Monir owned over 200 plots in his name and in other names, through forgery.

RAB spokesman Ashik Billah said Monir had started land-related forgery at different parts in the capital after coming close with powerful ministers and officials of the public works and RAJUK in 2001.

He said they will officially request the National Board of Revenue (NBR), Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate into who backed Monir in his illegal activities.