Following a clash between activists of the Jatiya Party and Gono Odhikar Parishad on Friday night, which left Nurul Haque Nur injured allegedly due to assault by police and army personnel, a video began circulating on Facebook claiming that Detective Branch (DB) officers and members of the army had conducted a raid at Nur’s residence. The video further alleges that a large sum of illegally stored cash was recovered from the house. However, a FactWatch investigation confirms that the video is at least five years old and relates to a different incident altogether. The footage originates from a 2020 raid by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on the Narinda residence of two brothers, Enu and Rupen, who were arrested in connection with the casino scandal.

A reverse image search of key frames taken from the video circulated in the name of a raid at Nurul Haque Nur’s house led to a news report by Somoy TV. The report, published on the channel’s YouTube page on 25 February 2020, confirms that the two brothers, Enu and Rupen, were arrested at that time for their involvement in the illegal casino business. RAB recovered 265.5 million taka in cash during the raid at their Narinda residence in Old Dhaka. Additionally, fixed deposit receipts worth 51.5 million taka and foreign currencies were seized, along with approximately one kilogram of gold.

The same footage claiming to show a raid on Nurul Haque Nur’s house also appears in another Somoy TV report published on the same date. The video shows Sarwar Alam, who was recently appointed Deputy Commissioner in Sylhet, accompanying the RAB during the operation. There is no indication that he led or participated in any recent raids involving Nurul Haque Nur.

Further investigation confirms that Sarwar Alam was serving as an executive magistrate with RAB in 2020 and led the operation at the residence of Enu and Rupen. No recent statements or reports from either the army or the police corroborate claims of a raid on Nurul Haque Nur’s home. Moreover, no national news outlets have reported any such operation taking place.

It is noteworthy that the RAB’s initial operation targeting illegal casino activities in 2019 involved raids on the residences of Enamul Haque Bhuiyan, vice president of the Gendaria unit of the Awami League, and his brother Rupen Bhuiyan, joint general secretary of the same unit, as well as their associates and staff.

In conclusion, FactWatch categorically identifies the Facebook videos claiming that DB and army forces conducted a raid at the residence of Nurul Haque Nur and recovered a large sum of money as false and misleading.

Source: https://www.fact-watch.org/db-police-and-the-army-had-jointly-conducted-an-operation-at-nurs-residence/