The arrest of a so-called money launderer has turned out to be a curious case of police and their informants gobbling up Tk 1.80 crore and claiming that they had seized only Tk 58 lakh from the man.

Meantime, a business establishment, Uttara Group of Industries, told police high-ups that the arrested man was carrying their money to the tune of Tk 4 crore, which was meant for business purpose.

When the police high-ups inquired about the incident, the Savar police who arrested the 'money launderer' owned up that they had actually seized Tk 2.38 crore and showed the amount as only Tk 58 lakh.

Police are yet to say anything about the missing Tk 1.62 crore and blamed five of its sources for looting the money.

"They [the police sources] fled away with some bags of money but returned those after higher officials learnt the matter," the duty officer at Savar Police Station told The Daily Star yesterday afternoon.

Well-placed sources said a Dhaka district police officer, Savar police, plainclothes police and their sources were involved in the entire incident of looting. The attempt, however, ultimately proved futile as the owner of the Uttara Group took the matter to higher authorities of police.

Some police sources, who earlier used to work for the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), provided police with the information that Uttara Group officer Liakat Ali was carrying a lot of money in a land cruiser from Jessore to Dhaka. Savar police, detectives and some informants intercepted the vehicle at Ashulia at around noon Saturday, according to the sources.

After looting the money, they returned to the Savar Police Station and showed Liakat Ali and his driver Ali Hossain arrested as hundi traders. They showed Tk 58 lakh on the seizure list prepared by the Savar thana nirbahi officer.

The arrestees, however, claimed innocence and said they were bringing the money earned from selling fertiliser and rice from their offices at Nawapara, Jessore, to their Dhaka office.

On information from the owner of the organisation about the amount of money kept in the vehicle, high police officers inquired the police officials concerned about the looted money.

The persons involved in the looting returned a part of the looted money, Tk 2.38 crore, in the earlyhours ofyesterday.

A Dhaka district police officer visited the Savar Police Station yesterday noon and held a secret meeting with local police allegedly to fix the share of the rest of the money.

Savar police, meanwhile, said they arrested police informants Zahurul Islam, Monirul Islam, Sona Mia, Abu Taher and Zakir Hossain for attempting to loot the money.

They sent the five along with Liakat Ali and Ali Hossain to the jail under Section 54 yesterday.

One of the police informants said there was Tk 4 crore in the vehicle. The owner of the organisation could not be reached for confirmation.

Officer-in-charge of Savar Police Station Tareq Alam told The Daily Star yesterday that a money laundering case will be filed in this connection.