Majority of properties in relatives' names
Operates 10 companies, including resorts, money exchanges
Reportedly runs business in six countries
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operations) Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid, son of late Abul Hashem, comes of a poor family at Hossainpur village in Mithamain upazila of Kishoreganj district. Due to financial crisis, he sought help from locals during his university life. But now he has reportedly accumulated wealth, including houses, plots, flats, resorts, vehicles and various businesses, worth billions of taka.
Once a ticket checker for Salsabil bus, Harun allegedly forged documents to obtain freedom fighter certificate for his father, enabling him to get a job in Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) police cadre on freedom fighter quota. He was dismissed from Police Academy in Sarada for disciplinary issues and later he worked at Mercantile Bank. When the Awami League came to power, Harun was reinstated in the police due to his involvement with the party's student wing. He reportedly started amassing a fortune since then.
Sources allege that Harun set up money exchange business to facilitate money laundering. His entire family is said to hold US citizenship. He has also established a three-member steering committee to manage his properties in various regions, including Dhaka. He reportedly owns at least three resorts in different names and several residential hotels. In total, he is believed to own at least ten companies.
In Dhaka alone, Harun is said to have constructed over two dozen luxurious houses and owns numerous plots and flats, many in the name of his ‘uncle’ Jahangir Alam. A separate committee reportedly oversees sales of these illegally acquired properties, money laundering, and management of assets abroad. Harun is believed to have established businesses in at least six countries, accumulating significant wealth.
Despite being a highly controversial officer, Harun last held the position of additional commissioner at DMP. Even as a third-grade government employee with a salary of less than Tk 80,000, Harun is reported to have amassed billions of taka through various corrupt activities.
Investigations show Harun’s involvement in numerous irregularities throughout his career, yet he has never faced punishment. Instead, he was consistently assigned to critical units. Harun has been accused of bribery, corruption, extortion, abduction for ransom, assault, land grabbing, flat grabbing, enforced disappearances, murder, money laundering, filing false cases, harassment, torture during detention, recruitment fraud, and sexual scandals. Despite these allegations, he continued to get promotions and amass millions of money.
Investigations in Uttara, Gazipur, and Kishoreganj have revealed properties worth millions of taka that have been attributed to Harun.
Sources said that Harun’s family lives lavishly in the United States with laundered money. He allegedly owns businesses in six countries, including an investment in a residential hotel in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, through acquaintance of his alleged uncle Jahangir. Additionally, he reportedly owns a five-star hotel in Dubai and is involved in gold trading with ADC Saiful’s brother Rifat.
Documents show that Harun’s wife moved to the US on a DV visa in 2007, and Harun followed her shortly after. The documents also indicate that Harun holds US citizenship and a passport, though he travels abroad using a regular passport instead of an official passport issued by the government.
Sources claim that Harun purchased a 5-million dollar house in his wife’s name in New Hyde Park, New York, prompting an FBI investigation into a large financial transaction involving his wife.
Harun reportedly owns multiple multi-storey houses, flats, and plots in Uttara, including a six-storey luxurious house on Road No. 20 in Sector 3 (Lakefront Road) called ‘Park Lake View,’ used as a guesthouse. He also allegedly owns an eight-storey house on the same road, where he lived with his family until recently. On Road No. 7, Sector 3, Harun is said to own a ten-storey market on 10 kathas of land, registered in his father-in-law’s name, with an estimated market value of over Tk 100 crore. Harun also reportedly owns a six-storey house at Sonargaon Janapath Road, Sector 12 for which a loan was taken from Shahjalal Islami Bank using this property as collateral.
On Shah Makhdum Avenue, Sector 13, Harun allegedly owns a plot of land where several shops, including Taj Food Court, are rented out. Another plot on Sonargaon Janapath Road, Sector 13, is rented to an individual named Judge Mia. In Sector 3, Harun reportedly owns a 14-storey commercial building on Road No. 15, six-storey building on Road No. 3, Sector 13, commercial plot of seven kathas on Road No. 9, Sector 3; and a five-katha plot on Road No. 11, Sector 10. Harun also allegedly owns two ten-katha plots on Road No. 6, Sector 5, one of which has a tin-shed house rented out, while the other is used as a warehouse. On Road No. 20, Sector 14, Harun is said to own four plots that are rented out as showrooms for four companies. On Road No. 12, Sector 10, Harun’s uncle Jahangir’s office is located on the fifth floor of Holding No. 4, which reportedly holds all of Harun’s property documents.
Harun reportedly sold Plot No. 14 on Road No. 9, Sector 3, Uttara, to an individual named Hiron for Tk 32 crore and rents out Plot No. 41, Road No. 9 (now Rabindra Sarani), Sector 3, for Tk 14 lakh per month. Another five-katha plot next to Uttara Smriti Cable TV Limited in Sector 11 is rented to a company called ‘Star Car Selection.’ Harun also allegedly owns several dozen flats in Sector 13, near Zam Zam Tower, Uttara Third Phase, and Purbachal.
Harun reportedly grabbed a 20-katha plot near Banani Graveyard and sold it to a company for Tk 70 crore. He is also said to be constructing an unauthorized structure on an eight-bigha plot in Sataish Mouza area of Tongi under the name ‘JH-Geotex Limited.’ In Gushulia Mouza, Tongi, Harun is reportedly constructing a residential hotel on 12 bighas of land within the Chayakunjo-5 residential project, with the land already filled using dredgers. Allegedly, during his tenure as Superintendent of Police in Gazipur, Harun had close ties with land grabber Kamrul, also known as Mauccha Kamrul, and protected his land-grabbing activities. Recently, Harun attended the wedding ceremony of Kamrul’s son.
Harun is also said to own a luxurious resort called ‘President Resort’ in Mithamain, Kishoreganj, managed by his brother Dr. Shahriar. In Gazipur, he reportedly co-owns ‘Sabuj Pata Resort’ and another luxurious resort named ‘Green Tech.’ Harun is also said to have shares in Nandan Park and has invested in a company called American Dairy, where his wife serves as Managing Director. Harun also reportedly has joint ventures in fisheries and restaurants with former MP Anis from Trishal, Mymensingh.
Investigations revealed that on November 19, 2015, during his tenure as SP of Gazipur, Harun forcibly grabbed a one-bigha plot of Taher and Sons filling station worth Tk 7 crore near MC Bazar on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway and handed it over to a group. Additionally, Harun reportedly provided police assistance to Gazipur Chhatra League leader Rakib Sarkar to grab a 17.5-decimal plot in Gazipur. On November 9, 2016, a two-bigha plot belonging to freedom fighter Kafil Uddin in Madhabpur, Gazipur, was also allegedly forcibly grabbed. More than 300 harassment complaints were filed against Harun during his tenure in Gazipur, where he allegedly extorted Tk 5 lakh to Tk 10 lakh from almost everyone. Those who refused to pay were reportedly harassed with false cases.
Many residents of Gazipur, frustrated by Harun’s abuses, reportedly complained to former Minister of Liberation War Affairs AKM Mozammel Haque, who was unable to take action. They later submitted a written complaint to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
After being transferred from Gazipur to Narayanganj, Harun reportedly became involved in illegal activities as well. Police Headquarters reportedly found evidence of 18 constables being fraudulently recruited in exchange for Tk 14 lakh each. Although the constables lost their jobs, no action was taken against Harun.
During this time, Harun was accused of abducting several industrialists, framing them in fabricated cases, and extorting money from them through intimidation. When he failed to get the ransom money, Harun allegedly abducted the son of Partex Group Chairman MA Hashem and the wife and son of Amber Group Chairman Showkat Aziz, leading to his removal from Narayanganj.
Alamgir Kabir, a leader of Jatiya Party in Uttara, reportedly fell victim to Harun’s wrath when he tried to claim his dues of Tk 3.80 crore. Alamgir had reportedly filled land and constructed structures on three plots seized by Harun through Jahangir. Despite paying Tk 40 lakh for this work, Tk 3.80 crore remained outstanding. When Alamgir demanded this money, Harun allegedly used Detective Branch (DB) to abduct him and three of his associates. They were reportedly detained at the DB office for five days and subjected to inhuman torture. After being forced to sign a statement saying he would not claim any money, Alamgir and his associates were reportedly sent to the court in a fabricated extortion case.
Despite frequent efforts over phone, those who have been involved in this matter could not be reached for their comments in this regard.
