Former inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed has been arrested in Dubai in connection with a corruption case filed by Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission, with the operation reportedly carried out through Interpol’s assistance.
During a session of the National Parliament, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed informed the House that on June 12, Dubai Police, through the National Central Bureau (NCB), notified the Government of Bangladesh via email that former IGP Benazir Ahmed has been arrested in Dubai and is currently in custody there.
The home minister described Benazir’s arrest as a significant success for the Bangladesh Police.
“We will bring him back to Bangladesh soon. Bangladeshi authorities are coordinating closely with their UAE counterparts to facilitate his return" the minister said.
On December 15 2024, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed a case against Benazir Ahmed at its Dhaka-1 Integrated District Office, accusing him of corruption and money laundering. The charges include amassing illicit wealth, concealing asset information, and laundering money. ACC investigators reportedly uncovered undisclosed assets worth approximately Tk 11.4 crore.
On May 3 this year, a court framed charges in the case, formally commencing the trial. Testimony recording began on May 13. Authorities said his arrest in Dubai was carried out with the assistance of Interpol in connection with this case.
A separate case involving allegations of enforced disappearances and crimes against humanity linked to the Rapid Action Battalion’s (RAB) Taskforce for Interrogation (TFI) cell is currently being tried by the International Crimes Tribunal. Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 16 others, including Benazir Ahmed, have been named as accused in the case. Benazir is currently listed as a fugitive.
An Interpol Red Notice has been issued against Benazir Ahmed over allegations of crimes against humanity and financial corruption.
Under court orders, authorities have seized 621 bighas of land, bank accounts, and various shareholdings owned by Benazir Ahmed and his family in Bangladesh. The court has also ordered the freezing of properties and bank accounts linked to him in the United States and Malaysia.
Since December 2021, the US Department of the Treasury has maintained sanctions against Benazir Ahmed under the Global Magnitsky sanctions programme over alleged human rights violations.
Benazir Ahmed served as the IGP from April 2020 to September 2022, after completing his tenure as the director general of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) from 2015 to 2020.
He fled the country on May 4, 2024, alongside his wife and three daughters amid an investigation by the ACC into the accumulation of illegal wealth.