A hidden bank locker belonging to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina was seized on Wednesday by the Central Intelligence Cell (CIC) of the National Board of Revenue (NBR).
A source confirmed Dhaka Tribune that the locker at Pubali Bank's Sena Kalyan Bhaban branch in the capital was under Hasina's name.
Regarding the seized locker, NBR chairman Abdur Rahman Khan told the media that action will be taken in this regard as per the prevailing law. “
CIC and VAT detectives are working individually in this regard. They will be the most qualified to determine whether we conduct further operations or not," he remarked.
The locker number, 128, remained shut as it was revealed that Sheikh Hasina still possessed one of the two keys required to open this locker.
"As the locker can only be opened by matching both keys, and Hasina now a fugitive, we will proceed in line with the law to open the locker," the official said.
According to NBR sources, the locker may contain gold ornaments and important documents. However, it could not be verified. The locker was seized based on intelligence information, sources added.
According to NBR sources, two bank accounts of Sheikh Hasina were found in that branch of Pubali Bank, one with a fixed deposit receipt (FDR) worth Tk12 lakh, and another account had Tk44 lakh.
Tax detectives found a total of Tk56 lakh in those two accounts.
These accounts have now been seized, and withdrawal of money was also banned, they stated.
The tax authority has frozen the bank accounts of Hasina as part of the investigation, officials said.
The move comes as the NBR launched an inquiry into the allegations of tax evasion by the former prime minister, who fled to India following a mass uprising on August 5 last year.