
Own reporter
September 20, 2020, 21:50
Updated: September 20, 2020, 21:53

Former Director General of the Department of Health (DG) Professor Dr. accused of business and extortion of counterfeit notes. RAB has arrested Abul Kamal Azad's driver Abdul Malek with a foreign pistol. Photo: Collected
Former Director General of the Department of Health (DG) Professor Dr. accused of counterfeit notes and extortion. RAB has arrested Abul Kamal Azad's driver Abdul Malek with a foreign pistol (63). He was arrested from Kamarpara area under Turag police station around 3pm on Saturday.
A press release signed by Sujoy Sarkar, assistant director of the RAB's law and media wing, said on Sunday that Malek had been arrested.
According to the statement, the RAB's preliminary intelligence investigation revealed that Abdul Malek was involved in illegal arms trade, counterfeit money business, extortion and other terrorist activities in the Turag area of the capital. He has created a reign of terror by showing weapons to the common people of the area and holding them hostage. His activities have made public life unbearable. Fear of him always terrified the common people in the area.
According to the notification, in this context, RAB conducted an operation at Bamaner Tech (House No. 42) in Kamarpara under Turag Police Station and arrested Abdul Malek. A foreign pistol, a magazine, five bullets, a counterfeit note of Rs 1.5 lakh, a laptop and a mobile phone were recovered from him during the arrest.
Abdul Malek was quoted in the notification as saying that he was a driver of the transport pool of the health department by profession. He is a third class employee. His educational qualifications pass the eighth grade. He first joined the Savar Health Project in 1982 as a driver. Later in 1986, he started working as a driver in the transport pool of the Department of Health. He is currently working in the Department of Health Education on deputation. Malek has long used the arms trade, including the counterfeit note trade, to extort large sums of money from ordinary people.
Abdul Malek's wife has two seven-storey luxury buildings in Kamarpara and a 10-storey building under construction on four and a half kathas of land in Hatirpul area of Dhanmondi. Besides, there is a dairy farm on 15 katha land in South Kamarpara. He has huge amount of money deposited in various banks anonymously.
Ashiq Billah, director of RAB's law and media wing, told NTV Online, "Abdul Malek uses foreign pistols to protect his illicit assets. He is the founder and current president of the Department of Health's trade union. He was trusted by the officials of the Department of Health. RAB has come to know that he has become the owner of such assets by making good use of the concerned persons of the department. Abdul Malek has assets worth more than Rs 100 crore. He is accused of dealing in counterfeit money, extortion and arms trade. Apart from this, RAB has come to know that Abdul Malek has become the owner of so much money in the name of transfer trade of the health department and lobbying in various departments with the favor of his superiors.
It is learned that Abdul Malek has appointed his daughter Naurin Sultana Bailey as office assistant in the health department, brother Abdul Khaleq as office assistant, nephew Abdul Hakim as office assistant, elder daughter Baby's husband Ratan as canteen manager, nephew Sohail Shikari as driver and Vaira Mahbub as driver. Close relative Kamal Pasha has been given a job as an office assistant.
Although Malek is a driver himself, he regularly uses a white Pajero Jeep (vehicle number Dhaka Metro G-13-2969) allotted for the Director General for personal purposes. In addition to the Pajero car allocated for the director general, he used two more vehicles of the health department for personal use. He used a pickup truck (Dhaka Metro L-13-6001) to sell milk from his cattle farm and to transport goods to the canteen run by his daughter-in-law. Another microbus (car number Dhaka Metro Ch-53-641) was used by other members of his family working in the health department.
It has been learned that the Deputy Director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Md. Shamsul Alam summoned him to the ACC on October 22 last year. However, the ACC has not yet completed its investigation against him.