The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) today asked banks to provide account details of popular YouTuber Salman Muqtadir within half an hour, according to a letter.On an urgent basis, banks have been directed to send the personal account information, account opening form and transaction statements of Salman Mohamma.

A managing director of a commercial bank told The Daily Star that his bank had received the BFIU letter.It was not immediately clear why the BFIU sought the information.Such requests are routine for the country’s anti-money laundering body and do not by themselves indicate wrongdoing, according to a BFIU official.

Salman Muqtadir runs the YouTube channel SalmoN TheBrownFish, which has about 1.7 million subscribers. One of the country’s earliest YouTubers, he has expanded into acting, music, advertising and commercial production.He was in the news last weekend after BrownFish Studio, inside the New Gini Properties housing complex in Dhaka’s ECB Chattar area, had been attacked and looted late Saturday night. In a Facebook Live video, he blamed the ruling party members and alleged extortion.Police rejected the claim. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Joint Commissioner Mahidul Islam said the violence stemmed from a land dispute and “there was no incident of extortion.” Officials said the studio was not the target. Salman later acknowledged nobody had demanded money from him directly.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed called the allegation against the BNP “sweeping” but acknowledged that Salman had been victimised. Police have filed a case and arrested four people.