Former member of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), Motiur Rahman, mired in the infamous goat scandal along with his first wife, Laila Kaniz, a former Upazila chairperson, has been arrested.
A team from the Detective Branch (DB) of the police apprehended them on the early hours of Wednesday (15 January) from the Bashundhara area in the capital, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (Media and Public Relations) Muhammad Talebur Rahman.
However, DC Rahman did not specify the exact case under which the couple was detained, although several charges have been brought against them in the past.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed three cases against Motiur Rahman, his first wife Laila Kaniz, and their children on 6 January, accusing them of accumulating illegal wealth worth Tk124 crore and concealing assets.
Laila Kaniz faces allegations of acquiring unexplained assets amounting to Tk13.01 crore and hiding assets worth Tk1.53 crore.
In another case, Motiur Rahman's daughter, Farzana Rahman, is accused of concealing Tk2.45 crore and illegally amassing over Tk53.41 crore, with Motiur Rahman listed as an accomplice.
A third case charges their son, Ahmed Taufiqur Rahman Arnob, with concealing Tk13.38 crore and acquiring Tk42.22 crore in illegal assets, with Motiur again named as an accomplice.
Previously, on 15 December, Motiur Rahman and his second wife, Shammi Akhter Shibli, faced charges for amassing illegal wealth worth Tk11.18 crore and concealing assets.
The ACC also froze multiple assets belonging to Motiur Rahman and his family, including land, flats, resorts, and financial accounts.
The scandal first surfaced when a youth named Mushfiqur Rahman Iffat, Motiur's youngest son, purchased a goat for Qurbani for Tk15 lakh, sparking public outrage.
The incident led to a probe into the wealth amassed by Motiur Rahman and his family, revealing extensive assets, including 65 bighas of land, eight flats, and several business ventures.
Following these revelations, the ACC initiated investigations into the family's unexplained wealth, leading to the recent arrests and further legal proceedings.
