ACC arrests land minister’s personal officer for 'defrauding' RAJUK land in Gulshan

The Anti-Corruption Commission or ACC has arrested Kutubuddin Ahmed, the personal officer of the land minister, on charges of his involvement in a grabbing plot of a 10-Katha RAJUK land in Gulshan.

The ACC arrested him at Segunbagicha of the capital on Sunday after starting a case against him earlier in the day.

A judge refused his bail plea, and ordered him into jail when he was produced in a Dhaka court in the afternoon.

There was no comment available from Land Minister Shamsur Rahman Sherif Dilu regarding the case.

ACC spokesperson Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya told bdnews24.com another person, Nazmul Islam Sayeed, is also accused in the case started by ACC Deputy Director Mirza Jahidul Alam.

According to the case dossier, the capital development authority decided to acquire land of over 31 acres (12.55 hectares) in Gulshan in 1964 to extend Gulshan-Baridhara project.    

However, it had scrapped the plan in 1969 as the land was low-lying.

When the RAJUK revived the plan, a case was started contesting the ownership of a piece of 10-Katha land inside the acquired area. But, the High Court in 2004 delivered a verdict in favour the development authorities.

Kutubuddin, the ACC alleged, forged papers for a 10-Katha (7,220 sq ft or 0.16 acre) piece of the acquired land by presenting his father-in-law Abdul Jalil Mridha and other relatives as buyers of the land.

Sayeed was given the power of attorney of the land at the time of the purchase, according to court documents.

The ACC alleges Kutubuddin used his influence to publish a gazette notification to clear the land of RAJUK authority.

He and his family now live on the land, according to the case dossier.

After the arrest, the ACC produced him at the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Dhaka and sought permission to keep him in jail until the end of the investigation.

ACC lawyer Mohammad Abul Hasan called Kutubuddin a ‘land-grabber’ and claimed he might influence the investigation if he gets out of jail.

Abdul Kayum, the lawyer for Kutubuddin, sought his bail. He claimed his client was ‘innocent’ and a ‘victim of conspiracy’.

After the hearing, Metropolitan Magistrate AKM Moyeenuddin Siddiqui refused Kutubuddin’s bail plea and ordered the police to send him to prison.