Bangladesh’s former influential industry and investment advisor to then Prime Minister Shiekh Hasina, Salman F Rahman, was ‘nabbed’ by law enforcement agencies on August 14.
But before he tried escaping, he did one last favour to one of his closest aides.
Salman F Rahman, who is otherwise known by the moniker Dorbesh, contacted some close army officers on August 6 to enlist their support in taking Ismail Haidar Malik, General Manager at Beximco Pharma and Director at the Bangladesh Cricket Control Board, out of the violence-torn country.
Malik handled finance at Beximco Pharma and was known as “Dorbesh and Papon’s cashier” within Salman Rahman’s group companies.
Papon is the nickname of Nazrul Hassan, a former Awami League MP from Kishoreganj-6 constituency and a cricket administrator.
He was also the Youth and Sports Minister in Hasina’s government.
The army officers Salman Rahman contacted were from the much-feared Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), Bangladesh’s omnipresent and omniscient intelligence agency.
As the demonstrating students closed in on Dhaka and Ganabhaban, the prime minister’s official residence, on August 5, Malik managed to reach Shah Jalal International Airport on August 8.
But two days before he reached the airport, Malik was “guided and advised” by a Dhaka-based DGFI Brigadier to create a fake invitation (on behalf of the International Cricket Council, for a meeting in Dubai) that would help him seek access at the airport’s immigration counter.
Accordingly, Malik sent out WhatsApp messages to several influential people in Dhaka, including the then Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan.
The immigration officials at Shah Jalal International Airport then contacted the DGFI Brigadier, who was located at the complex, to “look into the matter”.
When the Brigadier reached the immigration desk, he advised the staff to let Malik through.
Northeast News has reliably learnt that “some elements” within the DGFI helped Awami Leaguers and regime beneficiaries to escape to safety beyond Bangladesh’s borders.
Well-placed Bangladeshi government sources revealed that the Jessore-based 55th Infantry Division General-Officer-Commanding, Major General Mahbubur Rashid, also “assisted” some Awami Leaguers to cross over to India.
