Queensland man arrested over alleged $90,000 bribery attempt to influence investigation into woman’s death in Bangladesh

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) have arrested a 51-year-old Bangladeshi-born man from Redbank Plains, Queensland, over allegations that he arranged for around $90,000 to be sent to Bangladesh to bribe public officials and influence an investigation into the suspicious death of a woman known to him.

The man, Awlad Hossain, is accused of attempting to interfere with the investigation between September 2024 and September 2026 by conspiring with several people in Bangladesh. According to the AFP, the money was intended to bribe Bangladeshi public officials and influence the course of the investigation, including an alleged attempt to have Hossain’s name removed from police records.

Hossain has been charged with one count of bribing a foreign public official under section 70.2(1) of the Commonwealth Criminal Code. The offence carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment.

The AFP said this is the first time the agency has brought an allegation of bribery of a foreign public official for personal advantage before an Australian court.

Investigation into the woman’s death

The case centres on Rehana Parvin, a Bangladeshi-born Australian citizen and mother of five.

Parvin travelled to Bangladesh with her daughter in June 2024 and was later reported missing. Her family lost contact with her after 3 July. Her body was found in September 2024 in an area of Ashulia, on the outskirts of Dhaka.

Bangladeshi authorities subsequently confirmed her identity through forensic testing and treated her death as suspicious.

Australian media outlet ABC reported that Parvin and Hossain’s marriage had broken down. The pair had lived in Australia for almost two decades and had five children. Parvin was a Queensland resident.

Her body was reportedly found buried near a septic tank in the yard of a house in Ashulia after she went missing in Bangladesh.

A separate investigation into Parvin’s death is continuing in Bangladesh. As she was an Australian citizen, the AFP also began investigating the circumstances surrounding her death.

Importantly, Hossain has not been charged with murder in either Australia or Bangladesh in connection with Parvin’s death. Bangladeshi police have reportedly issued an arrest warrant for him, but no murder charge has been brought against him before a court. His current charge in Australia relates specifically to the alleged bribery of a foreign public official.

How the AFP investigation began

According to the AFP, the initial investigation began in September 2024 after the Queensland Police Service referred an overseas missing-person report involving the dual Australian-Bangladeshi citizen to the AFP.

The following day, Bangladesh Police advised that they had located what they believed to be the woman’s body. Bangladeshi authorities later confirmed through forensic testing that it was Parvin.

Information provided by Bangladeshi authorities indicated that the circumstances surrounding her death were suspicious. The AFP subsequently expanded its investigation under provisions of the Commonwealth Criminal Code dealing with serious offences against Australian citizens or residents overseas.

The AFP investigation was conducted separately from the Bangladesh Police investigation, with assistance from the AFP’s global operations network and international partners.

As part of the investigation, AFP officers executed search warrants at financial institutions in Sydney and Brisbane and seized international funds transfer records and banking documents.

The AFP said these financial records helped investigators identify the alleged transfer of money to Bangladesh.

Alleged $90,000 bribery scheme

The AFP alleges that between September 2024 and September 2026, Hossain conspired with people in Bangladesh to influence the investigation into Parvin’s death.

Investigators allege that around $90,000 was transferred to Bangladesh for the purpose of bribing public officials.

The alleged aim included having Hossain’s name removed from police records relating to the investigation and reducing or stopping police scrutiny of him.

However, based on information publicly available so far, it has not been established in court whether all or any of the money actually reached Bangladeshi public officials as bribes, or whether the alleged payments succeeded in changing the course of the investigation.

The allegation before the Australian court concerns the transfer of money and the alleged intention to bribe foreign public officials.

Queensland raids and electronic device seized

On 21 September, AFP officers arrested Hossain and executed search warrants at properties in Goodna and Redbank Plains, Queensland.

Investigators seized an electronic device, which has been submitted for forensic examination.

The AFP had previously obtained international money transfer records and banking documents through searches of financial institutions in Sydney and Brisbane.

Hossain denies the allegations

Hossain’s lawyer, Tariq Deeb, told ABC that his client denies the allegations and will contest the charge in court.

He said there were evidentiary deficiencies in the prosecution case, which would be tested through the court process.

The matter was listed before the Brisbane Magistrates Court on 22 September. It was subsequently adjourned, with a bail application scheduled to be heard on 23 September. Hossain remains in custody.

Investigations into Parvin’s death continue

Investigations into Parvin’s death are continuing in both Bangladesh and Australia.

Bangladesh Police are conducting their own investigation, while the AFP continues its investigation under Australian law.

A Bangladeshi police spokesperson told ABC that the force had not received any formal report regarding the AFP’s bribery allegations against Hossain. However, the spokesperson said Australian police had been assisting with the investigation into Parvin’s death from the beginning.

Bangladeshi authorities had previously reported arrests in connection with the investigation into Parvin’s disappearance.

The circumstances of her death, how she died and who may have been responsible remain under investigation. The bribery charge against Hossain therefore does not establish that he was responsible for Parvin’s death.

AFP’s first foreign bribery case of this kind

AFP Commander Stephen Jay said attempts to corrupt investigative processes, whether in Australia or overseas, would be treated as serious criminal matters.

Commander Jay said the AFP takes allegations of bribery and corruption seriously, particularly where the alleged conduct is intended to influence the outcome of a serious criminal investigation.

He said anyone attempting to buy influence or interfere with the administration of justice should expect to be held accountable.

The AFP said its response to foreign bribery and grand corruption has been led by Taskforce Solaris since 20 October 2025. The multidisciplinary taskforce focuses on preventing, detecting and investigating foreign bribery and grand corruption.

The AFP is also a founding member of the Bribery Prevention Network, a public-private partnership involving business, civil society, academia and government. The network aims to help Australian businesses prevent, detect and address bribery and corruption and promote a culture of compliance.

The case now involves two separate legal issues: the ongoing investigation into the suspicious death of an Australian citizen in Bangladesh, and the Australian prosecution alleging an attempt to bribe foreign public officials to influence that investigation.

The AFP bribery allegations remain before the court and have not yet been proven.

Source: AFP