Former public administration minister’s wife arrested
Staff Correspondent
Law enforcers arrested Syeda Monalisa Islam, a Jubo League leader and the wife of former public administration minister Farhad Hossain, from a house in Eskaton in the capital in the early hours of Monday.
Monalisa is named as an accused in three cases filed over Awami League-backed attacks on anti-fascist demonstrations last year.
Meherpur Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Sheikh Mesbah Uddin has confirmed her arrest.
Until Monalisa’s arrest, her family had been spreading rumours that she fled to Canada following the ouster of Awami League government on 5 August last year. But now, locals in Meherpur have learnt the truth and have expressed relief at the news of her arrest.
Detectives and locals, including Meherpur Awami League members, told reporters Monalisa and Farhad established a “reign of terror” in Meherpur district.
Monalisa was particularly involved in gambling and laundering the proceeds worth over a thousand crore taka to Russia, among other overseas destinations. After 5 August, she bribed police with Tk50 crore to evade corruption and money laundering charges.
