Dhaka, Bangladesh – Police in Bangladesh have arrested a man accused of masterminding a fraudulent scheme to evade nearly BDT 50 crore (approx. USD 4.2 million) in storage fees at Chattogram Port, the country’s busiest seaport.
The suspect, 30-year-old Touhidul Islam Shuvo, was detained by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Monday in the Sobhanbag area of Dhaka. Authorities say he posed as a senior military officer and forged official documents from the Ministry of Shipping to facilitate the illegal clearance of imported machinery.
“He introduced himself as a Major in the armed forces,” said Jasim Uddin Khan, CID’s Special Superintendent of Police for Media. “We recovered a fake military ID card, visiting cards identifying him as a Major, military attire, eight mobile phones, ten SIM cards, multiple cheque books, and a laptop. ”
The CID alleges that the forgery involved documents falsely granting rent waivers on 139 containers of industrial equipment imported by Bashundhara Multi Steel Company Ltd. for its new plant in the Mirsarai Economic Zone. Due to delays in clearing the goods, the company had accumulated approximately BDT 92 crore in outstanding storage fees to the port.
While the company had submitted a legitimate waiver request to the Ministry of Shipping, Shuvo and his associates — identified as Abu Hanifa (also known as Hanafi, Aminul Islam, and Amin) — allegedly supplied a forged approval letter to facilitate the clearance of the goods without paying the dues.
Chattogram Port authorities flagged the document as suspicious and contacted the ministry, which confirmed it was a forgery. A criminal investigation was launched, and CID’s Cyber Police Centre tracked down Shuvo using digital forensics.
Shuvo is already facing multiple fraud-related charges, including two cases filed in Rajbari’s Goalondo Ghat Police Station and two more in Boalia, Rajshahi. Police confirmed that at least one of the cases includes a conviction warrant.
Several other suspects — including Mohammad Abu Hanifa, Mohammad Aminul Islam Amin, and Roni Raj Hossain — have also been arrested in connection with the scheme.
CID says the investigation is ongoing, and efforts are underway to identify and apprehend additional members of the fraud network.
