Hadi murder: 53 bank accounts of Faisal Karim and associates frozen

A court has ordered the freezing of 53 bank accounts holding Tk65.5 lakh belonging to Faisal Karim Masud—the prime accused in the murder case of Inqilab Mancha spokesperson Sharif Osman Bin Hadi—and individuals and institutions linked to his interests.

The order was passed today (7 January) by Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Sabbir Faiz following a petition filed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Bench Assistant Md Riaz Hossain of the concerned court confirmed the matter, while CID Sub-Inspector Md Abdul Latif filed the petition seeking the freezing of the bank accounts.

According to the petition, a money-laundering allegation against prime accused Faisal Karim Masud and other individuals and institutions associated with him is currently under investigation by the CID in connection with the shooting death of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi.

During the investigation, analysis of bank accounts held in the names of Faisal and various individuals and institutions linked to his interests revealed a significant number of suspicious transactions.

Preliminary findings indicate the involvement of Faisal and his associated individuals and institutions in murder, terrorism, financing terrorist activities, and organised crime.

These acts constitute offences under the Money Laundering Prevention Act. Therefore, the seizure and confiscation of his assets are deemed necessary; otherwise, there is a high risk that the funds in the accounts could be misappropriated before the disposal of the case.

Previously, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) also froze Faisal's bank accounts. In addition, the bank accounts of Masud's IT firm, Apple Soft IT Limited, were frozen.

Earlier, on 28 December last year, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police said that Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh had fled to India. However, a Dhaka court also imposed a travel ban on Faisal.

Hadi, an aspiring independent parliamentary candidate for Dhaka-8 and spokesperson of Inqilab Mancha, was shot on 12 December in the capital's Paltan area.

According to the case statement, two assailants riding a motorcycle opened fire on Hadi while he was travelling in a battery-run rickshaw before fleeing the scene.

Inqilab Mancha Member Secretary Abdullah Al Zaber filed the case with Paltan Model Police Station on 14 December.

On 20 December, the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Siddiq Azad ordered the inclusion of Section 302 (murder) of the Penal Code in the case filed over the attempted killing of Hadi, turning it into a murder case following his death on 18 December.

Hadi's funeral was held on 20 December at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad, with hundreds of thousands of people in attendance.