Tk 1 billion grab attempt is punished with Tk 200 fine

A police officer colluded with an engineer to grab a piece of land in Dhanmondi worth over Tk 1 billion, but they have gone away with only Tk 200 fine after the highest court passed a verdict in favour of the government.

Police Inspector Md Shaheen and Engineer Moazzem Hossain deposited the fine amount to the court immediately after the Supreme Court bench with Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha in the chair passed the verdict declaring their claim is false and the government is the rightful owner of the land.

The duo fought for length legal battle – from the lower court to the highest, to become the owner of House-40 in Road-6 in Dhanmondi which is worth over Tk 1 billion in current market price.

The house was abandoned by its owner in 1971. The Ministry of Public Works first rented out the house on Jan 1, 1971, to Syed Haider Ali, who was an MP from Sirajgang at that time.

In 1975, the ministry took back the house and handed it over to one Nazma Majid who lived in the house until the early 80s.

In 1982, one Hosne Ara Begum filed a case with the Sub-Judge Court in Dhaka claiming the ownership of the house. She also claimed that she inherited the house from its ‘owner’ Hakim SA Ali.

The case got further complicated when Moazzem Hossain issued a power of attorney in favour of his relative Inspector Shaheen and got the lower court verdict in their favour on May 2, 2000.

The High Court upheld the lower court verdict in 2005 and so did the Appellate Division.

The State then petitioned for a review of the Appellate Division verdict and finally the Supreme Court has issued the review verdict in the government's favour.
 

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam stood for the State.