 has filed a money laundering case against former Law Minister Anisul Huq, his associate Toufika Karim, and two others for allegedly extorting nearly BDT 25 crore.){kind=link}
The Financial Crime Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has filed a money laundering case against former Law Minister Anisul Huq, his associate Toufika Karim, and two others for allegedly extorting nearly BDT 25 crore.
Initial investigations reveal that Anisul Huq, Toufika Karim, Md. Rashedul Kawsar Bhuiyan Jibon, and Md. Kamruzzaman formed a systematic crime ring to siphon off vast sums of illicit money. The group reportedly collected a monthly protection fee of BDT 1 million from various individuals and entities through the Gulshan branch of the National Bank of Pakistan.
According to CID, the scheme began in 2015 when Kamruzzaman, then Managing Director of the National Bank of Pakistan, signed a sham legal consultancy deal with Toufika Karim’s law firm, “Sirajul Huq Associates.” This arrangement served as a front to funnel bank funds into Toufika’s personal accounts. Before fleeing on August 5, 2024, the group reportedly extracted BDT 10.80 crore from this bank alone. Investigators also found an additional BDT 10.60 crore in extortion money deposited into Toufika’s private accounts from other sources.
The probe further uncovered that Anisul Huq used his ministerial influence to appoint Toufika and Rashedul as his private secretaries while establishing an NGO named “Legal Assistance to Helpless Prisoners and Persons.” With Toufika as Chairperson and Huq as Treasurer, the group allegedly used the NGO’s Sonali Bank account to collect BDT 24.53 crore in “donations” between 2015 and 2024.
Following a court order, authorities have frozen 26 bank accounts belonging to Toufika Karim, containing over BDT 24.53 crore. CID is currently working to identify other members of the syndicate and uncover the full extent of their financial crimes.