Staff Correspondent

Former Major General Ziaul Ahsan, who was involved in numerous disappearances and killings, has amassed a significant fortune by leveraging his power. Recently, it has come to light that Ziaul owns a luxurious farmhouse worth nearly Tk100 crore. This property is being built on approximately 10 bighas of land in Kayetpara Union under Rupganj Police Station, Narayanganj district. This information has been uncovered through an investigation by Kaler Kantho.

Ziaul, who played a vital role in numerous disappearances and killings during the Awami League government's fall from power, is also the key architect of the infamous "Aynaghar" (House of Mirrors). He was involved in phone tapping and recording private conversations.

He led the joint operation during the Hefazat incident at Shapla Chattar. On 7 August, the influential military officer of Sheikh Hasina's government was arrested and is currently in jail.

The investigation further revealed that between 2018 and 2020, the vast land for the farmhouse was gifted to Ziaul by Rafiqul Islam, Chairman of the Rangdhanu Group, through multiple land deeds. Rafiqul Islam or his family members were involved in various stages of the land transfer. To conceal the ownership of this illegal wealth, Ziaul Ahsan registered the land for the farmhouse in the name of his young daughter, Tasfia Ahsan Juita, who was only 12 years old at the time.

According to the deed, Juita, a minor, became the owner of a property worth Tk100 crore despite having no source of income, thanks to her father Ziaul Ahsan. Legal experts believe that accepting such a valuable gift while holding a high government position indicates that Ziaul provided special favors to the person or institution, which is against the law and regulations.

Documents analyzed in the investigation show that the entire land for the farmhouse was bought in multiple deeds under the name of Tasfia Ahsan Juita. The first piece of land was registered on 1 November, 2018, when Juita was 12 years old. The deed mentions the names of her parents as Ziaul Ahsan and Nusrat Jahan, and Ziaul Ahsan's parents as Nasir Uddin Ahmed and Hosne Ara Begum.

One of the deeds, number 13688, shows that on 1 November, 2018, a 0.60-acre plot was registered at the Rupganj Sub-Registry Office, valued at Tk27.48 lakh. Since Juita was a minor, her father, Ziaul Ahsan, signed on her behalf. The land was purchased from a total of eight sellers, including Abdur Rahim, Rafiqul Islam, Abdul Barek, and Baby Akhtar.

On 13 May, 2019, another plot of 0.90 acres was registered in Juita’s name, with deed number 6388 at the Rupganj Sub-Registry Office, valued at Tk38.40 lakh. The attorney for this transaction was Kausar Ahmed Apu, the son of Rangdhanu Group Chairman Rafiqul Islam. The land was bought from sellers including Zahid Hossain, Tanvir Hossain, Farhana Hossain, and Haji Hasmat Ali, with Ziaul Ahsan signing on behalf of his daughter.

On 28 January, 2020, another 0.667-acre plot was registered in Juita’s name, with deed number 1090, valued at Tk25.65 lakh. The attorney was again Kausar Ahmed Apu, and the land was purchased from a total of 18 sellers, including Md. Hossain Ali and Hashem Ali. Ziaul Ahsan also signed this deed on behalf of his daughter.

Local residents revealed that Rafiqul Islam purchased adjacent lands step by step to construct the large farmhouse, forcing landowners to sell under the threat of abduction using Ziaul Ahsan’s name. They allege that Rafiqul Islam gifted the farmhouse to Ziaul Ahsan to ensure his dominance in the area.

The construction of the multi-story farmhouse was underway until 5 August, when local residents looted the materials used in the construction following the fall of the government. Construction has since been halted following Ziaul Ahsan's arrest.

Ziaul Ahsan, who was relieved of his military duties, was arrested by the police. He was taken into custody on August 7, accused of inciting a case involving the deaths of students and vendors in front of Dhaka College. On 16 August, the court granted an eight-day remand for his interrogation.

Ziaul Ahsan was born on December 4, 1970, in Jhalakathi district. He was commissioned as an infantry officer in the Bangladesh Army on 21 June, 1991. He is a trained commando and skydiver and has served in various capacities within the Army, RAB, National Security Intelligence (NSI), and National Telecommunication Monitoring Center (NTMC).