Bangladeshi Suspects Rush to Offload UK Properties Amid Probe

Six prominent Bangladeshis have been moving to sell, refinance, or transfer ownership of high-value properties in the UK over the past year amid a wave of asset freezes by British authorities.

The group includes Sayem Sobhan Anvir, managing director of Bashundhara Group; Shafiat Sobhan from the same family; Anisuzzaman Chowdhury Ronny, brother of a former land minister; and Ahmed Shayan Rahman and Ahmed Shahryar Rahman, son and nephew of Sheikh Hasina’s adviser and Beximco Vice-Chairman Salman F Rahman.

Land registry filings reveal at least 20 “applications for dealing” — legal processes covering sales, ownership transfers, or refinancing — linked to these individuals.

Several assets have already been frozen by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), including a £35 million Mayfair apartment connected to the Rahman family.

In the past year, two major property sales were recorded: a four-storey Knightsbridge townhouse tied to Anvir, sold for £7.35 million after being transferred through a UK firm, and a £10 million Georgian townhouse near Regent’s Park sold by Ronny.

Additional applications for refinancing and ownership changes have been filed by Ronny, Shafiat Sobhan, and the Rahman family on other high-value London properties, including an £8 million mansion in Virginia Water, Surrey.

The NCA froze the Mayfair apartment jointly owned by Shayan and Shahryar Rahman last month, signaling active legal action.

All five individuals are currently under investigation by Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission.