Bangladesh's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested Haridas Chandra Tarani Das, organiser of an 81-foot Lord Ram statue project in Gaibandha district, on money laundering charges involving suspicious transactions worth Tk 9.35 crore.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
The arrest comes after construction of the proposed statue, set to be Bangladesh's tallest, was suspended following alleged threats from Islamist groups and the reported defacement of an image of Lord Ram, incidents that triggered protests by members of the Hindu community. The case adds to mounting concerns among Bangladesh's Hindu minority over religious freedom and law enforcement conduct under the current administration.
Manindra Kumar Nath, general secretary of the Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian unity council, confirmed the arrest to ANI after speaking with local police authorities.
"I just spoke on the phone with the Police Superintendent of Gaibandha. The Police Superintendent told me that Hari Das, the youth, has been arrested. I had asked him what the charge was, and then the SP said that he was arrested on money laundering charges, and that he was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Bangladesh Police from the Uttora area of Dhaka," Nath told ANI.
"I strongly condemn this arrest. I believe that, instead of arresting the youth, they should have arrested the extremists," he added.
According to Bangladesh local media outlet, The Daily Asian Age, a Dhaka court on Monday placed Haridas Chandra Tarani Das on a four-day remand in a money laundering case involving suspicious financial transactions worth Tk 9.35 crore.
Citing a CID press release, the publication reported that investigators found suspicious transactions in Haridas' bank and mobile financial service accounts despite "having no legitimate source of income."
The CID alleged that Haridas, a resident of Gaibandha's Palashbari upazila, "travelled illegally to India for education and training" in 2010 before returning to Bangladesh the same year. The agency further claimed that he "converted to Islam in 2019 and adopted the name Touhid Islam," according to the report.
Separately, bdnews24. com reported that investigators alleged Haridas later introduced himself as the protocol officer of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and "would play fake phone calls saved in the names of influential people and edited photos of himself with Hasina" to gain credibility.
Hari Das had recently announced plans to construct an 81-foot Lord Ram statue in Gaibandha, a move that came into focus after protests by members of Bangladesh's Hindu minority over the reported desecration of an image of Lord Ram during an Islamist demonstration in the district last month.
The arrest also comes months after the death of 25-year-old Hindu man Chanchal Bhowmik, who was burnt to death in Bangladesh's Narsingdi in January. While the fire was initially believed to be accidental, CCTV footage later raised suspicions of possible foul play, with the incident remaining under investigation.
On June 23, India urged Bangladesh to take "decisive action" against extremist groups and ensure the safety of minority communities.
"We have seen reports from Bangladesh regarding acts of desecration involving Hindu deities and their images, which have sparked protests. We expect the Bangladeshi government to curb the extremists there and guarantee the safety of the minority community," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a media briefing in New Delhi.
Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Sunday held a coordination meeting to finalise security arrangements for the upcoming Rath Yatra celebrations, saying adequate police personnel, intelligence teams, Swat units and bomb disposal squads would be deployed to ensure the festival concluded peacefully along designated routes.
