Dhaka to probe banks that brought in Dawood money

Bangladesh police have said they will probe branches of a domestic bank and the multinational Western Union that received money sent from Pakistan by international mafia don Dawood Ibrahim to pay his network of agents here.

The network, police say, extends to India, Pakistan, Iran, Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.

Details of money transactions have come in after the arrest last month of Abdur Rauf Daud Merchant, a fugitive from Indian law convicted for killing Bollywood music baron Gulshan Kumar in 1997, the Daily Star newspaper reported Tuesday.

The questioning of Merchant, who had been in hiding here, and three other accomplices has revealed a network of at least 150 agents, including 20 women.

Merchant and his accomplices used to collect money sent by Ibrahim on a monthly basis.

Inspector Mohammad Ashraf Hossain, the investigation officer of the case, said Fahim Machmach alias FM had recently sent 150,000 taka ($2,500) to the National Bank's Mohammadpur branch in the national capital.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Detective Branch) Mohammad Mohibul Islam Khan told The Daily Star that they would officially send letters to National Bank and Western Union, seeking names of people who received the money.

The official said Ibrahim and his second-in-command Chhota Shakeel had been "trying to establish their stronghold in Bangladesh after their crime empires in India, Pakistan, Dubai and Iran".

Khan said police are investigating whether the employees of Western Union and National Bank had any links with the gang.

However, the newspaper quoted bank sources as saying that the employees disbursed the money after identifying the men concerned by examining their national identity cards.