A Dhaka court on Monday ordered Dilip Kumar Agarwala, managing director of Diamond World, to be shown arrested in a corruption case and sent to prison.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case over allegations of illegally acquiring assets worth more than Tk112 crore and conducting suspicious bank transactions exceeding Tk755 crore.
Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Shahjahan Kabir passed the order following a hearing, as confirmed by ACC Public Prosecutor Delwar Jahan Rumi.
The investigating officer, ACC Assistant Director Shazzad Hussain, submitted an application on 25 October seeking to show Agarwala arrested in the case.
Upon producing Agarwala in court, the judge ordered him sent to prison after showing him arrested at the conclusion of the proceedings.
According to the application, Agarwala is accused of dishonestly acquiring and maintaining ownership of assets valued at Tk112,47,28,407.
Inquiries revealed deposits of Tk385,32,62,123 and withdrawals of Tk369,97,94,140 across 34 bank accounts in his name, totaling Tk755,30,56,263 in transactions.
The ACC initiated the case after primary investigations found evidence of money “layering” – the process of transferring, converting, or handing over funds in multiple stages to conceal their illicit source.
The agency added that showing him arrested was essential for a proper investigation.
Earlier, on the evening of 19 October, the Detective Branch (DB) arrested Agarwala from Banani in the capital. The following day, a court placed him on a one-day remand in a gold and diamond smuggling and money laundering case.
On 21 October, he was shown arrested in an attempted murder case involving A Jabbar and placed on a total of six days’ remand across two phases, remaining in prison afterwards.
Previously, following the fall of Awami League government, the then Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested Agarwala on 3 September 2024 during a midnight raid on the Diamond World office in Gulshan over charges of gold and diamond smuggling, fraud, forgery, and money laundering.
He was later shown arrested in a murder case involving a teenager, Hridoy Ahmed, in Badda during the quota reform movement.
After undergoing remand in various phases for these cases, he was subsequently released on bail from lower and higher courts.
Agarwala contested as an independent candidate from Chuadanga-1 constituency in the 12th National Parliamentary Election.
He was also a member of the central industry and commerce sub-committee of the activity-banned Awami League.
