Former OC Pradeep’s wife goes to jail in ACC case

Chumki Karan, wife of suspended Teknaf Police Station Officer-in-Charge, Pradeep Kumar Das, has been sent to jail in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on charges of illegal acquisition of assets.

She surrendered in the court of Chattogram Divisional Special Judge Munshi Abdul Majid on Monday and applied for bail. After the hearing, the court denied her bail.

ACC lawyer Mahmudul Haque said Chumki owns houses in the Patharghata and Sholashahar areas of the city, a car, a microbus, a flat in Cox's Bazar, and 45 bhoris of gold. Her movable and immovable property is worth Tk4,80,64,651. The ACC has found evidence that of that, assets worth Tk2,35,98,417 were acquired illegally.

The lawyer also said Chumki claimed to be a fishmonger, which is also false.

On 15 December, Judge Munshi Abdul Majid ordered the court to start the trial against Pradeep and his wife, forming a charge in the corruption case, according to court sources.

On 26 July, Chattogram ACC Assistant Director Md Riaz Uddin filed the charge sheet in court. Pradeep was duly arrested and jailed, while Chumki had been absconding.

On 1 September, a hearing was held on the charge sheet. Back in 29 June, the court of Chattogram Senior Special Judge and Metropolitan Sessions Judge Sheikh Ashfaqur Rahman assigned the deputy commissioners of Cox's Bazar and Chattogram to take the illegal assets of Pradeep into their custodianship.

On 20 September, the court of Chattogram Metropolitan Senior Special Sessions Judge Sheikh Ashfaqur Rahman ordered seizing the property mentioned in the case statement, when ACC Deputy Director and investigation officer, Md Riaz Uddin, appealed to the court.

Retired army major Sinha Md Rashed Khan was shot dead by police at Baharchhara check post near Teknaf in Cox's Bazar on the night of 31 July 2020. On 31 January, the court sentenced to death, inspector Liaquat Ali and Pradeep.