Saidpur & Rangpur Correspondent : On Wednesday, February 11, 2026, Belal Uddin Pradhan, the Ameer of the Thakurgaon district unit of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, was detained at Saidpur Airport in Nilphamari with approximately Tk 74 lakh in cash. Belal Uddin reportedly fell ill and suffered a heart attack according to some initial reports and hospital sources.
He was first taken to Saidpur 100-bed Hospital around 1:47 PM. The Resident Medical Officer, Nazmul Huda, stated that an ECG and other tests showed no indication of a heart attack at that time. For further evaluation, he was referred to Rangpur Medical College Hospital. Later reports indicated he was admitted to the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) there.
He arrived at Saidpur Airport around 11:00 AM on a domestic flight from Dhaka. A team from the Bangladesh Army initially detained him based on intelligence before handing him over to the police. While he initially claimed to be carrying around Tk 50 lakh, a formal count supervised by an executive magistrate confirmed the total to be Tk 74 lakh.
Belal Uddin, a college teacher, claimed the money was for his garment business. The incident occurred just one day before the 13th National Parliamentary Election. Jamaat-e-Islami leaders have called the arrest a “stage-managed drama” and alleged his illness resulted from “mental torture”.
The doctor added that the Jamaat leader was still not “out of danger”.Jamaat’s Rangpur Metropolitan Secretary KM Anwarul Haque Kajal claimed that the Jamaat leader was carrying the money with proper endorsement and in compliance with the rules and regulations of the administration or airport authorities.“Belal is an elderly man, and he was involved in business as well,” said Anwarul.“He was detained at Saidpur Airport for unknown reasons, and an attempt is being made to create an unstable situation or disrupt the peaceful environment,” he added.
