Shahed gets bail in Tk1cr fraud case but stays in jail

A Dhaka court on 30 July granted bail to Regent Group Chairman Mohammad Shahed Karim in a fraud case involving Tk1 crore worth of construction materials. But he will not walk free. He remains detained in connection with more than 35 other cases, his lawyer confirmed.

Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Ehsanul Islam passed the order after a hearing, granting Shahed 10 days' bail on a Tk5,000 bond following a settlement with the complainant. Court Bench Assistant Md Ruhul Amin confirmed Shahed had been shown arrested in the case and received bail as a result of the settlement.

فہرست

01

The Tk1 crore Construction Material Dispute

02

A Pattern of Bounced Cheques and Threats

03

Bail Granted But Freedom Denied

04

The wider legal web: 35-plus cases

The Tk1 crore Construction Material Dispute

The case was filed on 13 July 2020 by Md Saifullah Masud, proprietor of Messrs Masud Enterprise. The complainant supplied construction materials to Shahed on several occasions from 2018. While Shahed initially paid in cash, he later switched to issuing cheques.

Masud alleged that Shahed issued four cheques worth Tk1 crore drawn on Prime Bank. All four were returned unpaid when presented for encashment due to insufficient funds.

A Pattern of Bounced Cheques and Threats

Despite being informed about the dishonoured cheques, Shahed repeatedly delayed repayment. When the complainant demanded payment on 26 June 2020, Shahed allegedly refused and threatened to kill him, prompting Masud to file a general diary with Uttara West Police Station.

The Tk1 crore case is not Shahed's only cheque-related trouble. He was arrested on 20 July 2026 from Dhaka's ECB Chattar area by Pallabi Police Station under an arrest warrant in a separate Tk2.16 crore cheque dishonour case filed by Mercantile Co-operative Bank. Cantonment Police initially detained him in Mirpur before handing him over to Pallabi Police Station.

Bail Granted But Freedom Denied

Shahed's lawyer, Mohammad Dabir Uddin, confirmed that while the court granted bail in this case, his client would not be released. “Shahed will not be released from jail as he remains detained in connection with other cases,” the lawyer said. The next hearing has been scheduled for 8 September 2026.

The wider legal web: 35-plus cases

Shahed faces more than 35 cases, including charges of fraud, illegal arms possession, and acquiring wealth beyond known sources of income. On 28 September 2020, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in an arms case.

His legal troubles first drew national attention in 2020, when Regent Hospital was accused of issuing fraudulent Covid-19 test certificates without conducting tests. Authorities subsequently sealed Regent Hospital branches following raids.

After spending nearly four years behind bars, Shahed was released from prison on 4 September 2024 after securing bail in several cases. That freedom proved temporary. His arrest on 20 July 2026 pulled him back into custody, where he remains despite the bail granted in the construction materials fraud case.