Chuadanga couple builds luxury houses with drug money

Mini Khatun and Amirul Islam used to survive on odd jobs until 2009, when they met petty drug peddler Gultu Mondol.      

Soon after, the trio established and expanded their narcotics network in the border district of Chuadanga. To forge their newfound friendship, Gultu even married the couple's daughter.

Starting with marijuana and later switching to Phensedyl and heroin, the group had little success in the beginning.

They finally began to make their fortune in 2012, as yaba made its way to the remote areas of the district.      

Mini's job was to buy plots at a higher price whenever someone in the village intended to sell their land.

But Mini was smart. To avoid attention from law enforcement, she did not register any of the properties under her name.

In a neighbourhood full of tin-shed houses, Mini and Amirul built three luxury houses and bought many plots in the last ten years.  

They sold one of their homes for Tk40 lakh recently, according to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). However, the CID suspects that the family has many other off-the-book properties.    

Last Saturday, the CID arrested four members of the family from Chuadanga's Alamdanga area in connection with a money laundering case.  

"The family members have a total of 28 narcotics cases against them," CID investigation officer Anup Kumar Das told The Business Standard. The son-in-law Gultu recently died in a crossfire with the Rapid Action Battalion.  

CID Additional Police Superintendent Mohammad Faruk Hosen said several members of the family have been arrested before.

"However, they returned to the business after securing bail."

Faruk added that Mini Khatun has been clever with the drug money as she owns almost nothing on paper. "She bought the property in her children's name."

The policeman further said the government will seize all their properties that have been bought with drug money.