A Dhaka court on Tuesday placed former lawmaker and retired army officer Masud Uddin Chowdhury on a five-day remand in a human trafficking case filed with Paltan Model Police Station.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Aminul Islam Junaid issued the order after Masud Uddin Chowdhury was produced in court by the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
He was arrested late Monday night from his residence in Baridhara DOHS. DB Sub-Inspector Md Raihanur Rahman, the investigating officer, sought the remand, while state counsel Omar Faruk Faruki represented the prosecution.
The case, filed on 3 September by Altab Khan, proprietor of Afia Overseas, names Chowdhury and 102 others, including former Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare Imran Ahmed, former secretary Ahmed Munirus Salehin, and former MP Benazir Ahmed, accusing them of embezzling nearly Tk 24,000 crore and extorting additional fees under the pretext of human trafficking.
According to the complaint, despite having more than 2,000 recruiting agents for manpower export, the accused allegedly created discriminatory practices among business owners, violating constitutional provisions.
Ahmed Munirus Salehin reportedly involved his son in the syndicate during his tenure as a government secretary, while former minister Imran Ahmed allegedly allowed a family member to operate an expatriate-related app, aiding the syndicate.
The syndicate is alleged to have exploited victims’ vulnerability, forcibly collecting Tk1.5 lakh each from 841 individuals-totaling Tk12.56 crore-and extorted nearly Tk24,000 crore from other business owners.
At a press briefing at the DMP media centre, DB Additional Commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam confirmed the arrest and said, “He was initially produced in connection with the human trafficking case filed at Paltan Police Station.”
The DB added that Chowdhury faces a total of 11 cases-six in Feni district and five in Dhaka city-with three Feni cases currently under trial. Courts had issued arrest warrants against him after he remained absconding for an extended period.
Masud Uddin Chowdhury is also accused in multiple serious cases across Paltan, Banani, Kotwali, Mirpur, and Hatirjheel police jurisdictions, including charges of murder, attempted murder, and human trafficking.
Investigations against him are ongoing with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
A former General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 9th Infantry Division, Masud Uddin Chowdhury played a key role during Bangladesh’s political transition on 11 January, 2007.
He later served as Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to Australia before entering politics, winning parliamentary elections from Feni-3 in 2018 and 2024 as a Jatiya Party candidate.
