Sadeeq Agro owner Imran arrested in Dhaka in money laundering case

He will be produced in the court on Tuesday, CID says

The Criminal Investigation Department, or CID, has arrested Sadeeq Agro owner Imran Hossain, who gained notoriety over the “goat scandal”, in a money laundering case.

He was taken into police custody in Dhaka on Monday, CID chief and Additional Inspector General Md Motiur Rahman Sheikh confirmed.

“He [Imran] will be presented before the court on Tuesday,” he said.

Earlier, a court ordered the freezing of 27 bank accounts belonging to Imran.

The Anti-Corruption Commission, or ACC, also filed a case against him.

Sadeeq Agro has been at the heart of controversy when it tried to sell a goat to a young man last year for a whopping Tk 1.5 million before Eid-ul-Azha.

It was also criticised for asking Tk 10 million for a cow imported from the United States.

The goat was later sold to 19-year-old Mushfiqur Rahman Ifat for Tk 1.2 million.

Following this, media reports exposed the vast wealth of Ifat’s father, National Board of Revenue, or NBR, member Md Motiur Rahman, and his family.

Reports on irregularities within Sadeeq Agro also surfaced.

The company had previously come into the spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In July 2021, as many as 18 banned Brahma cattle were seized at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport after touching down on a Turkish Airlines jet.

The company had imported the cows from the US under the guise of Sahiwal cattle.

Customs officials had found all the import documents as forged, while Sadeeq Agro's owner failed to present valid import papers then.