DHAKA, Jan 18, 2023 (BSS) - The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police in separate drives at three illegal money exchange houses at different areas in the city today arrested 14 people.

"Currencies worth of Taka 1 crore 99 lakh 61 thousand 376, including foreign currencies of 19 countries equivalent to Taka one crore 11 lakh 19 thousand 826 were seized from them," Additional IGP and CID chief Mohammad Ali Mia told newsmen at Malibagh CID Headquarters at the media center here this noon. 

The detainees are: Abu Talha alias Taharat Hossain Toha, 32, Asadul Sheikh , 32, Hasanat Molla, 19, Abdul Quddus, 24, Hasnat A Chowdhury,46, Shamsul Huda Chowdhury alias Ripon, 40, Suman Mia, 30, Tapon Kumar Das, 45, Abdul Quddus, 32, Quamruzzaman Rasel, 37, Moniruzaman, 40, Newaz Biswas,30, Abul Hasnat, 40, and Shahjahan Sarker, 45.

The CID has recently started conducting drives against illegal money exchange business and money laundering abroad through hundi.

The CID chief said in continuation of this, with the help of Bangladesh Bank, a special team of CID conducted operations at five places in Dhaka City (Gulshan-1, Ring Road, Mohammadpur, Ashkona, AB Market, China Market, Uttara) and arrested a total of 14 people with a large amount of local and foreign currencies.

He said about one thousand money exchanges company illegally transacts Taka 70 to 75 lakh each on an average daily. 

"Most of the money is being transited through hundi and is laundered," he added.

The CID chief said: "Recently, the global COVID-19 situation and the Russia-Ukraine war have caused instability in the foreign exchange market. In this situation, some unscrupulous foreign exchange traders in the country are illegally creating an artificial crisis of foreign currencies and hoarding US dollars to make more profit by raising prices."

The CID investigators found that the accused persons use to buy and sell foreign currencies without the permission (license) of Bangladesh Bank through their own offices.

He said during the preliminary interrogation, the detainees admitted their involvement.

Five separate cases under the Special Powers Act were filed with four police stations against the arrestees.