At least 12 buses were set on fire at a terminal in Faridpur early on Saturday.
All the buses are owned by former Awami League leader Sajjad Hossain Barkat and his brother Imtiaz Hossain Rubel, both of whom are facing money laundering charges. The buses have been kept at the terminal since their confiscation by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in June 2020.
Faridpur Superintendent of Police Md Alimuzzaman said some assailants set the 12 buses of “South Line Paribahan” on fire at around 1.30am at the terminal in Goalchamte.
Some 22 buses were parked at the terminal, he said.
Upon receiving the information, fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was eventually doused.
Suraiya Parveen, the wife of Barkat, said a local court on February 25, 2020, ordered the confiscation of 55 vehicles owned by Barkat and Rubel.
Shipul Ahmed, assistant director of Faridpur Fire Service, said a probe has been started to unearth the origin of the fire.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will look into the case, said Inspector Nasir Hossain.
Barkat and Rubel's nephew Rajibul Islam said: "The buses were parked in a safe place before. Mizan Chowdhury moved them from there through someone’s influence. They set the buses on fire.”
He added that his uncles are victims of political retaliation, before demanding a proper investigation from the police.
On March 3 last year, the CID pressed charges against 10 people, including Barkat and Rubel, in a Tk2,000 crore money laundering case.
CID Assistant Superintendent Uttam Kumar Biswas submitted the chargesheet at the Dhaka metropolitan magistrate's court.