Bangladesh COVID-19 test scam: Regent Hospital Chairman Mohammed Shahed arrested
Dhaka: The Rapid Action Battalion has arrested Regent Hospital Chairman Mohammed Shahed in connection with his role in the COVID-19 test scam.
The scam has hit Bangladesh's healthcare sector in recent days.
Shahed, also known as Shahed Karim, was arrested near the Labangabati river in Debhata Upazila around 5.30 am Wednesday, about a week after the COVID-19 scam involving his hospital came to light, reports bdnews24.
"A loaded pistol was recovered from him. We could have missed him if we were a bit late. He was about to escape into India,” Lt Col Ashik Billah, legal and media affairs director of the elite force told the news portal.
Security officials were searching for him ever since it emerged that his hospitals swindled thousands of unsuspecting patients out of millions of takas on the pretext of coronavirus treatment.
The headquarters and two branches of Regent Hospital in Dhaka were sealed.
The RAB initiated a case against 17 people, including Shahed, on charges of issuing fake COVID-19 test reports and other irregularities, reports bdnews24.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.