Transcom: New twist as police to exhume Latifur’s son Arshad’s body in murder case probe

The Police Bureau of Investigation has been tasked with investigating murder charges brought by late Transcom founder’s younger daughter against her elder sister

Police are preparing to exhume the body of Arshad Waliur Rahman, the son of late Transcom Group founder Latifur Rahman, as part of investigations into murder charges brought by Arshad’s younger sister against her elder sister Simeen Rahman, now the CEO of the company.

Banaj Kumar Majumder, the chief of the Police Bureau of Investigation, said on Wednesday that they were tasked with investigating the case filed by Shahzreh Huq at Gulshan Police Station on Mar 21 against Simeen and 10 others amid a rift over the company’s ownership.

Banaj said they would also probe the three previous cases started in February, in which Shahzreh brought charges of embezzlement of funds, unlawful possession of property, and illegal transfer of shares against Simeen.

Gulshan Police Station chief Mazharul Islam said they handed the murder case over to the PBI on Tuesday.

Zahangir Alam, a superintendent of police at the PBI, said the court granted Gulshan police permission to dig up Arshad’s remains for autopsy.

“We will now apply for a magistrate from the court. On the date fixed by the court, the body will be exhumed in the presence of the magistrate and sent to the hospital’s morgue for a post-mortem examination,” he said.

She alleged that behaviours of Simeen and the others indicate they colluded to poison or strangle Arshad to deprive other heirs of Latifur in a planned manner.

The others accused in the case are Simeen’s son Zaraif Ayaat Hossain, the head of the company’s strategy and transformation, Murad Hossain, 50, senior executive of medical affairs at Eskayef Pharmaceuticals Limited, its Executive Director of Marketing and Sales Mohammad Mujahidul Islam, 55, Transcom’s Executive Director of Corporate Affairs Fokhruzzaman Bhuiyan, 60, Chief Financial Officer Kamrul Hassan, 61, executives of corporate affairs Selina Sultana, 45, and KH Mohammad Shahadat Hossain, 50, Arshad’s chef Rafique, 55, chauffeur Mirazul, and Md Zahid Hossain, 55. Zahid’s details were not given in the case.

Shahzreh said in the case that Arshad, Simeen and she were the heirs to Latifur’s assets in line with the law, but Simeen and Ayaat deprived her and Arshad of the assets, including Transcom shares, by forging documents.

Upon consultation with Arshad, she decided to take legal steps and Arshad, a childless divorcee, gave Shahzreh his power of attorney on Jun 8, 2023.

Arshad had told people close to him that his life was in danger because  Simeen was angry with him for giving Shahzreh his power of attorney.

Shahzreh visited his home in Gulshan on Jun 16 upon hearing about his illness. When she reached there, she saw her brother lying dead on his bed. Simeen, Ayaat and the other accused had already been there.

Shahzreh said Arshad did not have any life-threatening disease and she could not communicate with him for four days before his death.

She said a close friend of Arshad asked if a post-mortem examination was necessary to find out the actual cause of death before the hastily done burial, but Simeen remained silent at that time.