The Rapid Action Battalion has arrested the Chairman of 'Ehsan Group Pirojpur-Bangladesh' and one of his accomplices on charges of embezzling Tk 17,000 crore.
The arrestees were identified as Ragib Ahsan, son of Abdur Rob, and his associate Md Abul Basar Khan.
Ahsan defrauded people of a 'large amount of money' in the name of running a business under the Shariah law, the elite force said on Friday, a day after the two were arrested.
Commander Khandaker Al Moin, Director of Rab's Legal and Media wing, said this at a press conference at Kawranbazar on Friday.
The Ehsan group used to deceive people by capitalizing on their religious feelings, he added. Ragib Ahsa primarily confessed that the company had swindled Tk 110 crore by promising to pay dividends on the basis of Shariah.
Commander Khandaker Al Moin said the total amount embezzled would be known after an investigation by the CID and the ACC. He also said a letter would be sent to the ACC and CID to investigate Ragib Hasan's fraud.
Ragib Ahsan, starting with a real estate company
at first, later formed 17 firms under the name of Ehsan Group Pirojpur-Bangladesh.
Ahsan claims to own several madrasas and organisations, including Ehsan Multipurpose Co-operative Society Ltd and Ehsan Real Estate and Builders Ltd as front companies to run a fraud scheme.
Asked about the condition of the customers' money, the Rab official said the allegations made by the victims and the information given by the arrested persons were not consistent.
It will be investigated whether the money has been used to finance the militants, he said.
Initially, Ragib Ahsan, took Tk 110 crore from 10,000 members as an investment in Ehsan Group. Ragib Ahsan took taka from about 1 lakh members, according to RAB.
A native of Pirojpur, Ahsan was the principal of Al Madinah Cadet Madrasa. He worked as an imam of a mosque as well.
At one point, he launched a multilevel marketing (MLM) business and started Ehsan Real Estate and Builders Ltd in 2010. He launched almost a dozen companies afterwards under the name of Ehsan Group Pirojpur-Bangladesh.
According to official sources, Ragib, once an Imam of a mosque, joined a Multi-Level-Marketing (MLM) company and he set up Ehsan Group of Companies in 2010 based in Pirojpur.
Many cases were filed against the group on charges of embezzlement of money from thousands of people promising to run the company according to Islamic Shariah law and offering them a high profit.
Earlier this year, the media reported that the employees of the company vanished with a large amount of money raised as 'investments' from its customers in Pirojpur and surrounding areas with a promise of good profit.
