Regent Hospital Chairman Shahed arrested

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested Regent Hospital Chairman Mohammad Shahed alias Shahed Karim for his alleged involvement in providing fake Covid-19 certificates and embezzling money from patients.

He was arrested from the border area of Debhata in Satkhira around 5:10am on Wednesday. 

Lt Col Ashik Billah, director (legal and media wing) of RAB, confirmed the matter to Dhaka Tribune.

He said they also recovered an illegal firearm from Shahed and are bringing him to Dhaka from Satkhira in a helicopter.

Also Read: Regent Hospital scam: Health Ministry, DGHS scramble to find answers

The arrest comes two day after a Dhaka court issued an arrest warrant against Shahed in two cases filed over misappropriation of Tk3.68 crore.

Regent Hospital owner Shahed was absconding since RAB raided the Uttara and Mirpur branches of the hospital.

Shahed has 56 cases against him and has been wandering around under the nose of police for a long time.

On June 6, RAB raided the Uttara and Mirpur branches of the Regent Hospital on complaints that the hospital was issuing fake Covid-19 certificates, as well as charging exorbitant fees for Covid-19 testing and treatment of patients. RAB also found evidence of at least 6,000 fake Covid-19 test certificates during the raid.

The next day, RAB filed a case against 17 people, including Shahed, with Uttara West police station. Later, ten other people were arrested in the incident. 

Regent Hospital Chairman Mohammad Shahed, escorted by RAB officials, get off a helicopter in Dhaka after arrest on July 15, 2020 | Rajib Dhar/Dhaka Tribune

On Tuesday, RAB arrested Masud Parvez, managing director of Regent Hospital Ltd, from Kapasia upazila of Gazipur.

Masud is the second most prominent accused in fraud charges pressed by RAB, for his alleged assistance to Md Shahed.

On July 11, RAB seized the passport and the computer of Shahed, also the chairman of Regent Group, after conducting a drive at the hospital's Uttara branch. The passport and the computer were found at the hospital's kitchen.

The raid was conducted upon information gleaned from Shahed's close associate Tariqul Islam alias Tareque Shibli, who was placed on a five-day remand by a Dhaka court on July 10.

Tariqul, one of the accused in the case, was arrested from the capital's Nakhalpara area on July 9.

On July 9, Bangladesh Bank directed all banks to freeze accounts of Md Shahed and his family members.

Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has launched an investigation against Shahed.

A letter from the Home Ministry on September 27, 2016, accused Shahed of being a fraudster for falsely identifying himself as an army officer and called for action from police headquarters.

Also Read: The cons and scams of Regent Hospital owner Md Shahed

Dhaka Tribune was able to contact Shahed on the day of the RAB raid. At the time, he had said his father was ill and that he would speak later. Afterward, his phone was found to be switched off.

Shahed’s wife Sadia Arabi Rimmy told media that he had called her on the incident day. He told her that he had gotten himself into a little bit of trouble and would not return home. When she asked about his whereabouts, he replied: “I am fine, I am safe.”

In 2008, Sadia moved back to her mother's house when Shahed’s Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) scam was disrupted, and she did not move back for two years. She does not have any detailed knowledge about his businesses.

Sadia also said Shahed had never been in the army.