Haridas Chandra Tarani Das, who initiated to construct Asia’s largest Ram statue in Gaibandha’s Palashbari, has been arrested.
He was arrested around 11:30pm Sunday in connection with a case filed at Dhaka’s Uttara West Police Station.
Mansur Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Uttara West Police Station, told Times of Bangladesh that a money laundering case was filed against Tarani.
Dhaka CID’s Financial Crimes Team is investigating the case and has taken him into custody.
A police source said Tarani had previously been arrested by RAB in 2022 in a fraud case.
Palashbari Police Station Officer‑in‑charge Sarwar Alam Khan said CID, with assistance from local police, arrested Tarani and took him to Dhaka.
Tarani had long been a controversial figure in the area. Police sources said he regularly engaged in fraud by exploiting religion.
On 8 November 2022, RAB arrested him in a case involving impersonation of officials and ministers, transfer trade, tender manipulation, and fraud worth crores of taka.
After securing bail, he went into hiding. Following the July uprising, he returned to the country and resumed fraudulent activities under the guise of religion.
At one stage, he converted and adopted the name Tawhid Islam. During that time, he married a woman named Sumi Islam.
Origins and expansion of temple project
The site, located in the Madhya Ramchandrapur area of Palashbari, has a long history of religious significance. Local freedom fighter Kanak Chandra said that the open space had been used for Kali and Shiva Puja since the 1947 partition.
In 1987, two local Hindu communities built a small semi-pucca structure for worship. Following a legal dispute over land and management, a court recognised the land as “Debottar” property, granting permission for worship under the “Madhya Ramchandrapur Shiva and Kali Temple.”
The project took a massive turn following the fall of the Awami League regime on 5 August 2024.
Haridas Chandra, the founder of “Shree Shree Radha Govinda and Kali Temple,” initiated the project after meeting with two local communities. A committee was formed with him as president and Bipin Chandra as general secretary.
On 1 May 2025, the old infrastructure was demolished to make way for new construction.
During this phase, the temple was renamed, and the village name was changed from Madhya Ramchandrapur (Naya Para-Patni Para) to “Brindabanpara.”
Initially, a 51-foot Krishna statue was installed, followed by the commencement of the 81-foot Ram statue in February.
