Senior cop received Enayet at airport; JaPa leader booked hotel
A senior police officer went to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka to receive Enayet Karim, also known as Masud Karim Chowdhury, who claimed to be an official of a foreign intelligence agency. Later, a DIG-rank officer assigned his own bodyguard—a police member—for Karim’s security. At the time of Karim’s arrest, the bodyguard was with him. The bodyguard has since been suspended, but no decision has yet been made regarding action against the DIG.
After arriving in Bangladesh from the United States on 6 September, Karim stayed for two days at a five-star hotel. The booking and payment were arranged by Kazi Mamunur Rashid, who introduced himself as the secretary-general of the Raushan-led faction of the Jatiya Party (JaPa).
Law enforcement sources said Karim disclosed this information during interrogation after his arrest. On Monday (15 September), police sought a 10-day remand for the 55-year-old suspect. Following a hearing, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Atikur Rahman granted a 48-hour remand.
Earlier, on Saturday, Karim had been detained and formally arrested under Section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure for suspicious movements in a car around Minto Road, an area known for ministerial residences.
A case has been filed against him under the Anti-Terrorism Act at Ramna Police Station, with the investigation being led by the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. According to his seized passport, Karim is a US citizen.
Additional Commissioner of DB Police Md Shafiqul Islam said Karim is being questioned in remand and that several individuals linked to him have already been identified. If evidence is found, they too will be brought under the law.
Law enforcement officials said Karim has been posing for over 20 years as the South Asia chief of a powerful foreign intelligence agency, deceiving leaders of several political parties, including the BNP. By promising to install them in power or arrange invitations to US presidential dinners, he allegedly extorted large sums of money.
He reportedly collected funds from political leaders ahead of both the 2014 and 2018 national elections. After 2018, Karim continued his fraudulent activities by cultivating ties with a BNP-affiliated journalist and a leader of a newly formed political party, who later left the party. He still maintains contact with both.
During the BNP-led four-party alliance government, Karim had also been arrested at Chattogram airport on fraud charges.