Police have recovered BDT 7.4 million from the bag of Belal Uddin Pradhan, Ameer of Thakurgaon district Jamaat-e-Islami, who was detained at Syedpur Airport. Nilphamari Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration) Mohammad Mohsin confirmed the matter on Wednesday, BBC Bangla reported.

Earlier, Nilphamari Superintendent of Police Sheikh Zahidul Islam said Belal Uddin Pradhan was detained at the airport around noon based on confidential information that he was traveling from Dhaka carrying a large amount of cash.

Following his detention, the Jamaat leader claimed to be unwell. He was later admitted to the cardiology department of Rangpur Medical College Hospital.

In a video of his questioning at the airport, Belal Uddin Pradhan was seen unable to confirm the exact amount of money in his bag, though he acknowledged that it contained more than BDT 5 million.

Belal Uddin Pradhan hails from the Hajipara area of Thakurgaon town. He teaches at Salandar Degree College and has described himself as a garments businessman.

Police said the source of the money and the purpose of carrying it are being investigated. Relevant sources said authorities are also examining whether the cash was intended for use in the upcoming election.

Cash carriage was identified in Dhaka

According to the BBC Bangla report, airport authorities in Dhaka had identified that Belal Uddin Pradhan was travelling with a large amount of cash. However, as there is no specified limit on how much money a passenger may carry on domestic routes, no restriction was imposed at that time.

Executive Director of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Group Captain SM Ragib Samad, said in the afternoon, “We identified during our screening that cash was being carried. Since the amount was significantly big, we only verified with Customs whether there was any issue. Although the matter is technically outside the jurisdiction of Customs, as we actually deal with arriving international passengers.”

He added that it was not that the money was allowed to be transported due to Customs clearance. “There is no defined ceiling for carrying cash on domestic routes,” he said.