TDS Desk:

Fauzia Islam, wife of influential politician Md Tajul Islam, has been engaging in illegal land confiscation in Bandarban’s hills. While Tajul siphoned hundreds of crores through bribes from construction projects, Fauzia orchestrated large-scale seizures to fulfill her extravagant desires. Competing with her husband, she has forcefully taken land, displacing hundreds of marginalised hill families.

Despite legal action, local landowners have gained nothing; instead, they face eviction by Fauzia. Protesters held sit-ins in Bandarban, demanding justice and the return of their confiscated land. They allege that Fauzia and Tajul, alongside Shah Alam Mukul, deployed armed local men to destroy homes and threaten residents if they resisted. Despite repeated complaints, the police have taken no action. The victims are calling for the arrest of all those involved in the land grabs and plead for the restoration of over 500 acres that were stolen through fabricated documents.

In Lama’s Sarai Union and Phuita Jhiri area, around 100 families have been barred from working on their land. The victims argue that, under local law, only indigenous people can purchase land, yet Tajul and Fauzia illegally acquired leases. They claim that even after Tajul fled abroad following the government’s fall, his associates continue to use intimidation to claim local land.

Motilal Tripura, one of the victims, said, “We farmed on our land for over fifty years, but Tajul, Fauzia, and Mukul occupied it. Armed men threatened us whenever we tried to work.” Court records indicate that Fauzia and Mukul hold more than 500 acres in the area.

In the wake of the government’s collapse, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) began investigating. In preliminary findings, the ACC secured court orders to freeze 304.59 acres of Fauzia’s land in Bangladesh, flats in Dhaka and Chattogram, and bank accounts. The court approved the seizure of 14 bank accounts and shares, totaling approximately Tk4.6 crore in movable assets.

Fauzia’s real estate includes: A flat with land in Gulshan, Dhaka; One-third of a four-storey building in Halishahar, Chittagong; Over 300 acres of land in Lama secured under both lease and ‘bayna’ deeds.

ACC alleges that Fauzia acquired Tk6.9 crore through unexplained means and holds suspicious transactions amounting to Tk13.93 crore in 11 bank accounts. Legal actions were filed under the Anti-Corruption (Amendment) Act 2004 and the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2012, along with the Penal Code. Investigation also found evidence suggesting funds were being secretly transferred or dissipated.

Previously, on 13 April, a court ordered the seizure of 28.63 bighas of Tajul’s land in Dhaka, Cumilla, and Narayanganj, alongside two commercial properties, a flat, a shop, and 50 bank accounts and shares amounting to Tk28 crore.