Jamaat leader detained at airport had Tk 7.4m: Police

Police have said that Tk 7.4 million was found in the possession of Belal Uddin Pradhan, ameer of Thakurgaon district Jamaat, who was detained at Syedpur airport in Nilphamari on Wednesday. He was held with the cash at around 11:00 am on the day before the polls.

Officer-in-charge of Syedpur police station Rezaul Karim told Prothom Alo in the afternoon that the total amount recovered was Tk 7.4 million. Legal procedures are underway. He said Belal Uddin Pradhan had been detained after the army, acting on intelligence information, held him at the airport and informed the police.

Earlier, at around 12:45 pm, Nilphamari superintendent of police Sheikh Zahidul Islam told Prothom Alo that Belal Uddin had been detained at the airport. The detained leader claimed that the amount of money in his possession was more than Tk 5 million. Police had not counted the cash at that time and said it would be counted in the presence of all concerned.

Police later said that after counting, the amount was found to be Tk 7.4 million.

Law enforcement sources said Belal Uddin had travelled from Dhaka to Syedpur by flight. He was detained on intelligence information that he was carrying approximately Tk 4 million in his bag. Thakurgaon district Jamaat office secretary Abdul Mannan was with him at the airport, but he was not detained.