Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested four people in connection with making fake judicial stamps in the city. On getting secret information, a team of RAB-3 raided Fakirapool area in the city on Sunday night. The forgers were making, distributing and marketing fake revenue stamps to dodge government revenue. RAB busted the fake revenue manufacturing factory set up on the sixth floor of Rifatul Mansion in the capital.
They were doing the criminal activities in the guise of printing press business.They rented the flat for World Vision Production a few years ago. The arrested were identified as Md Abu Yusuf, 35, Md Motiur Rahman,52, Md Alamgir, 27, and Md Mizanur Rahman,32. The anti-crime elite force also seized fake revenue stamps of Tk 5 lakh and one thousand and some devices being used for printing the fake revenue stamps. During primary interrogation, the criminals admitted they were printing, distributing and marketing the fake revenue stamps since for long.
A case was filed in this connection. Process was on for handing over the accused to the local police. Earlier, after arresting another gang of fake revenue stamp makers, a Detective Branch officer said that they were suspecting direct links between radical Jamaat-Shibir and banned terrorist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir Bangladesh in the fake revenue stamp racket.
On August 9, a team of DB led by senior AC Solaiman, arrested Md Naiyemul Islam, 19 and Md Aminul Islam alias Mamun,44 from the city’s Nayapaltan area. DB police also seized forged revenue stamps worth Tk 1,02,00,000 from their possession. But sensing presence of DB team, Rasel Ahmmed alias Shanto, son of Md Faruque Akon, hailing from Kobirajpara under Taltola Upazila under Borguna district, managed to escape.
Law enforcers became worried after recovering large numbers of printed leaflets of banned militant outfit Hizbut Tahrir from their possession. DB officials are primarily suspecting that the printing press owner is directly involved in extremist Jamaat politics. But the most alarming information for them is printing of the Jhihadist publications of Hizbut from the same printing press.
As a result, Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime, a specialized unit of DMP started a shadow investigation on the whole matter. They have already interrogated the arrested members in connection with printing forged revenue stamps and Hizbut leaflets. According to sources, the DB still is conducting raids to arrest absconding printing press owner Ahmmad Hossain Manik,62, Sourav,27, Monir, 25 and Masum, all allegedly linked with the network.