TDS Desk:

Diamond World Managing Director Dilip Kumar Agarwala has been put on a three-day remand in a case of teenager murder during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement in Badda area of the capital.

A defamation lawsuit of Tk5,000 crore has also been filed against Enamul Haque Khan Dolan and Agarwala – both of whom are expelled members of Bangladesh Jeweller’s Association (BAJUS) – for spreading false information regarding the organisation and others.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mehedi Hasan gave the remand order on Wednesday when Badda Police Station Sub-Inspector Md Sadek, also the investigating officer of the murder case, produced Agarwala before the court with a plea for a seven-day remand.

Inspector Asaduzzaman forwarded the prayer to the court.

“He (Agarwala) is a financier of the killing of 16-year-old teenager Hridoy Ahmed during the movement. The members of Chhatra League and Jubo League have been paid for killing the teenager,” according to the hearing documents of the case. Some pro-BNP lawyers said students were killed by indiscriminate shooting during the mass uprising. So, they supported the remand plea for Agarwala.

The lawyer of Agarwala applied for his bail with remand cancellation, which the court denied.

Earlier, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested controversial businessman Agarwala in a raid on his Gulshan-1 office in the capital on Tuesday night.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police also launched an investigation into allegations of money laundering against Agarwala and other stakeholders of Diamond World.

The financial crime unit of CID initiated the probe into various allegations that have surfaced against Agarwala.

The allegations against the Diamond World managing director include siphoning of a huge amount of money abroad by smuggling gold and diamonds into the country, and selling high-quality “glass pieces” as diamonds at his business outlets across the country resorting to fraudulence.

Agarwala is linked with a company – Saber’s Traders Limited (STL) – that has been under scrutiny for supplying adulterated alcohol that harms people’s health and causes death in some cases.

Agarwala amassed huge assets in Dubai and Canada and became a director of Bengal Commerce Bank by illegally injecting Tk40 crore through forgeries.

A member of the industry and commerce sub-committee of Awami League (AL), Agarwala also controls gold smuggling syndicates in Dubai and Singapore and owns three jewellery shops and 11 houses in Kolkata, India.

The controversial businessman is also accused in cases filed over the killings of students during the recent Anti-discrimination Student Movement.

Recently, different media outlets published reports unearthing the issues of gold smuggling and fake diamond business allegedly being run by Agarwala for years.

This year, Agarwala participated in the general election as an independent candidate after failing to secure an AL nomination. However, his campaign was hindered by Anwarul Azim Anar, a former AL lawmaker, who had a close relationship with former MP Solaiman Haque Joarder Selun.

Following his defeat in polls, Agarwala’s syndicate allegedly plotted Anar’s murder, holding secret meetings at various locations, including Akhteruzzaman Shaheen’s residence in Kotchandpur, Jhenaidah. Shaheen is an accused in the Anar murder case.

Despite Anar’s strong connections within the administration, the Agarwala syndicate ultimately succeeded in their plan to murder him in Kolkata.

Agarwala, Dolan face defamation suit

Ruhul Amin Rasel, an adviser to Bangladesh Jeweller’s Association (BAJUS), filed a defamation lawsuit of Tk5,000 crore against expelled BAJUS members Enamul Haque Khan Dolan and Agarwala on Wednesday for spreading false information, Advocate Chowdhury Galib Rakib told media.

According to the case statement, Dolan and Agarwala were conducting misinformation campaigns, claiming that the current BAJUS committee was illegitimate. Additionally, they repeatedly put pressure on the committee to negotiate with the government to reduce the VAT imposed on gold traders.

However, the current BAJUS committee has been working to ensure that the government receives the VAT it has set. As a result, Dolan and Agarwala became angry and began spreading malicious rumours against the current BAJUS committee through leaflets and various media outlets.

Advocate Chowdhury Galib Rakib said due to the continuous libelous campaigns, a defamation lawsuit of Tk5,000 crore was filed against Enamul Khan Dolan and Dilip Kumar Agarwala. The court has ordered the accused to appear before the court following the filing of the case.