Joint forces yesterday arrested HRC Group Chairman Sayeed Hossain Chowdhury at his Gulshan home on charges of money laundering and keeping his purchased properties in other people's names.
Police said the business tycoon, also the chairman of the Editors' Board of Bangla daily Jaijaidin, was arrested around 10:00am. He was attempting to flee the country on a Thai Airways flight at 1:30pm, police claimed.
A Dhaka court sent Sayeed to jail in the afternoon after he was produced before it.
Mir Rezaul Alam, deputy commissioner (DC) of Gulshan zone of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told The Daily Star, "Joint forces personnel arrested Sayeed Hossain Chowdhury and later handed him over to Gulshan police."
Sub-inspector Mohammad Shahidullah of Gulshan Police Station, also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, told The Daily Star, "Sayeed was arrested for smuggling money out of the country and enjoying properties bought in other people's names."
Shahidullah said, "He was arrested under section 16/2 of the EPR [Emergency Power Rules]."
Gulshan police also said they produced Sayeed before a court around 3:30pm and Metropolitan Magistrate Julfiker Hayat ordered him to be sent to jail denying the bail petition filed by his lawyer.
The magistrate also ordered the jail authorities to arrange for facilities for him according to the jail code after Sayeed's lawyers appealed for division status.