RAB raises border surveillance to bar Shahed from fleeing

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has increased surveillance in bordering areas to prevent Md Shahed – who recently hit the headlines after issuing thousands of fake Covid-19 test reports by his hospital, from leaving the country.

The elite force is out to arrest the fraudster who, according to police, has committed various crimes at different times under various identities. Md Shahed has been on the run for the last five days since police raided the capital's Regent Hospital, which he owns.

A RAB official said that since he had connections with many high-ranking people, investigators will try to find out who his patrons and beneficiaries were.

Ashik Billah, director of the RAB's legal and media wing, said they are trying to arrest Shahed, but he has been in hiding since a case was filed against him and 16 other hospital officials and employees.

He said the RAB intelligence has kept a close watch on Shahed's wife Sadia Arabi Rimmy and their other family members, expecting that he might communicate with them.

RAB today evening conducted a drive at Regent's head office in Uttara and seized a passport and a computer device from the kitchen, Ashik Billah told The Business Standard.

Source in the elite force said Shahed has at least 55 cases against him in different police station across the country.

Shahed used to falsely introduce himself as a member of the Awami League's sub-committee on foreign affairs.

Leaders of the ruling party have confirmed that he is not part of the committee.

For quite a long time, he had been maintaining good connections with many influential people, including politicians, media personalities and government officials.

He used to share photographs with ruling party leaders on social media and take advantage of different quarters showing his rapport with politicians, said RAB officials.

RAB's intelligence officials said that besides hospitals, Shahed had started a business of supplying sub-standard and unauthorised medical equipment as the elite force seized unauthorised Covid-19 testing kits from his hospital.

Shahed also has a construction material business. He used to bring sand, stones and bricks from Jaintapur upazila in Sylhet, but did not clear the payments to the businessmen there.

A businessman named Shamsul Mawla filed a case against him this year alleging that Shahed bought stones worth Tk32 lakh from him, but paid only Tk2 lakh in cash. He gave a cheque of Tk30 lakh, which was dishonoured by the bank.

Earlier on Monday, the RAB raided the Uttara and Mirpur branches of Regent Hospital in Dhaka and found that it forged over 6,000 Covid-19 certificates and embezzled over Tk3 crore in the name of providing Covid-19 testing facilities and treatment.

So far nine people have been arrested, and eight of them are in police remand in the case.