Former additional IGP arrested drunk from Nawabganj
Former additional inspector general of police (AIGP) Shamsuddoha Khandaker has been arrested.
Members of the law enforcement agency arrested him in front of his house in the Wonderela Green Park area of Nababganj in Dhaka at 11:00 am on Sunday after waiting for around 12 hours.
Later, he was shown arrested in a bank cheque fraud case.
Confirming the matter, Dhaka district superintendent of police (SP) Md Anisuzzaman told Prothom Alo that there were arrest warrants against the former additional IGP in two cases filed of cheque fraud. He was shown arrested in those two cases and has been sent to the court.
According to the Nababganj police station, the former AIG was in his house. On Saturday, he got drunk and scolded and threatened the housemaids. Later, at 11:00 pm, one of the housemaids called the national emergency number 999 and informed the police about the matter.
Upon receiving the information, members of Nawabganj police station rushed to the house and found Shamsuddoha drunk. He was still misbehaving with the housemaids even after the police arrived.
Later, a team of Nawabganj police station, headed by officer-in-charge (OC) Mominul Islam, stayed all night as per the instructions from the higher authorities.
A police source said former additional IGP Shamsuddohar confined four female housemaids along with several others without paying their wages and threatened to shoot them with his licensed firearm.
Later, police found that he had locked himself inside his room. Police personnel waited for a long time for him to open the door. Multiple police teams had been working since late night to arrest him. The police were somewhat embarrassed by Shamsuddohar’s erratic behaviour. Later, around 11:00 am today, he was detained. Nawabganj police have seized the licensed pistol of the former police official.
Visiting the house around 6:00 am in the morning today, this correspondent saw three police vehicles parked in front of the Wonderela Green Park. The gate was locked from inside. A policeman was seen coming out after a while. After confirming the identity of this correspondent, the police member was allowed to enter the house.
Upon entering the house, this correspondent saw the OC of Nawabganj police station, along with several sub-inspectors (SI), waiting in the yard of Shamsuddohar’s house. Police members are standing guard at the nearby entry points. In front of the former senior police officer’s bedroom, they are knocking on the door. However, Shamsuddoha was not responding.
At 9:30 am, Khandaker Shamsuddoha woke up. At that time, the OC requested him to come out. Later, after getting ready, he came out at 10:30 am. He then walked to the gate and got into the police vehicle.
Around 11:00 am, police detained him and three vehicles started for Dhaka. At around 12:00 noon, he was taken to Keraniganj Model Police Station for a short while. There, he spent some time freshening up. After that, at around 1:15 pm, police set off from Keraniganj to take him to court.
Shamsuddoha joined the police force in 1986 as an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP). In 2011, he was promoted to additional IGP). That same year, the government appointed him as chairman of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA). After assuming the position, allegations of irregularities, corruption, and arbitrariness were raised against him. Subsequently, in 2015, he was removed from the chairman post of BIWTA. On 3 March 2016, he retired from the police force.
Shamsuddoha and his wife are also accused of amassing wealth illegally. In 2018, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) began investigating allegations of illegal wealth accumulation against Shamsuddoha and his wife. The ACC’s investigation revealed that nearly Tk 410 million of illicit income was deposited in his wife’s account.
Evidence also showed that Shamsuddoha had illicit income amounting to Tk 215.25 million. Additionally, he is accused of concealing information worth Tk 28.73 million. The case filed by the ACC is currently under trial.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, Nawabganj police station OC Mominul Islam said that Shamsuddoha has two arrest warrants at Nawabganj police station in connection with cheque fraud cases. He was taken into custody under those warrants. Besides these, he faces five other cases, but he is currently out on bail in those cases.