Bangladesh economist Abul Barkat arrested in midnight DB raid over loan fraud case

Economist Abul Barkat. FILE PIC/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The Detective Branch (DB) of the Bangladesh Police arrested in a mid-night search on Thursday the country's renowned economist Abul Barkat on corruption charges, a DB official said on Friday. "We will hand him over to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC)," Nasirul Islam, joint commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DB), said without providing details.

Barkat was the chairman of the state-owned Janata Bank during Sheikh Hasina's regime. A case was filed against 30 people, including Barkat, during the Awami League era, for embezzling crores of taka through loan fraud by a company called Anontex.

"Last night, 20-25 people, posing as DB police, entered my father's bedroom and took him away. They did not show any warrant copy. We are ready to fight the case brought against him legally", Abul Barkat's daughter, Aruni Barkat, said. "No one told us about the case."

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