Ram statue controversy figure Haridas sent to jail in fraud case

Haridas Chandra Tarani, who recently drew nationwide attention after announcing plans to build an 81-foot Ram statue in Gaibandha's Palashbari, has been sent to jail after being shown arrested in a fraud case.

The order was issued on Tuesday (July 21) by the Mymensingh Joint District and Sessions Judge (Finance and Loan) Court following a hearing, confirmed by state prosecutor Anwar Aziz Tutul.

Court officials said the case dates back to 2012, when Haridas was accused of cheque fraud in a case filed with Kotwali Police Station. After trial, the court sentenced him to one year in prison. He remained absconding for years before being arrested recently in Dhaka by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which later produced him before the Mymensingh court.

Haridas, a resident of Komorpur village in Gaibandha's Palashbari upazila, began working as an air-conditioner repair technician in Dhaka's Uttara in 2010. Authorities say he later adopted the name Tawhid Islam and married in Mymensingh's Fulbaria in 2019.

He has previously faced allegations of defrauding people by claiming he could secure government jobs, transfers and tenders through influential connections. In 2018, he was arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) over similar accusations.

Haridas returned to the spotlight in June this year after announcing plans to construct an 81-foot Ram statue in Palashbari. However, citing concerns over communal harmony and public order, the local temple committee suspended the project later that month.

Days later, on July 12, the CID arrested him in Dhaka after detecting more than Tk 9.35 crore in suspicious transactions linked to his bank accounts. Investigations into those financial dealings are ongoing.