Anti-Corruption Commission on Wednesday asked the police department to take measures to bar Chumki Karan, wife of suspended officer-in-charge (OC) of Teknaf police station Pradeep Kumar Das, from fleeing the country as the ACC failed to track her over the last few weeks after filing a case against her husband and her over possessing illegal wealth.
Talking with The Business Post on Wednesday, several ACC officials on condition of anonymity said the wife of Pradeep Kumar Das has gone missing since filing the case and the ACC believes that she is trying to flee the country.
Riaz Uddin, assistant director of the ACC's Integrated District Office Chattogram-2, who filed the case against the couple, confirmed the development to The Business Post.
"The ACC requested the police headquarters through a letter to take measures so that the wife of Pradeep Kumar Das, Chumki Karan, could not flee the country as she has not been found in her residence over the past few weeks," he said.
The ACC on August 23 filed a case against Pradeep Kumar Das and his wife Chumki over acquiring illegal wealth worth 4 crore taka.
The FIR said Chumki Karan played as a helping hand in converting and transferring black money earned by Pradeep Kumar Das through bribery and she also helped Pradeep to keep those properties under her name which is a punishable crime under The ACC act.
"She has been one the run since the case was filed. Prior to that, she was living in a six-storey building named Laxmikunjo in Patharghata area in Chattogram city," said Riaz Uddin.
Local people said they haven't seen her since the day of the arrest of Pradeep Kumar Das and don't know her location still.
An ACC source also mentioned that Chumki has Indian nationality and they are not aware of whether she had already left the country before the ACC could take any action to refrain her from leaving.
The ACC launched an investigation in 2018 against Pradeep's alleged possession of illegal wealth and Pradeep declared property worth 70 lakh against himself.
Pradeep showed more wealth against his wife and also identified her as a fish trader. In the 2017-18 fiscal year, nearly 4 crore taka worth property was shown against her, the documents found.
The ACC found property worth 15 lakh to 20 lakh taka in its own investigation and a total of about 3 crore taka.
Pradeep Kumar Das hit the media headlines after killing retired Army major Sinha Md Rashed Khan by inspector Liakat Ali on July 30, who was at that time serving at Baharchora police post.
Sharmin Rahman, sister of Sinha, filed a murder case against seven people including OC Pradeep. Pradeep and several other police personnel were suspended later and were taken to police custody.
sh/teb
