Case Against Nine, Including Dutch-Bangla Bank Officials, Over Alleged Embezzlement of a Housewife's Tk 85 Lakh in Shanir Akhra

It has been alleged that Tk 85 lakh was embezzled through fraud from the bank account of a housewife named Nargis Akter, a customer of Dutch-Bangla Bank's Donia branch in Shanir Akhra in the capital, by taking advantage of her illiteracy.

A case has been filed in court against nine people, including officials of the bank, over the allegation.

On Wednesday (4 November), the victim herself filed the case as plaintiff in the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ashraful Haque.

The court recorded her statement and directed the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to investigate the allegation and submit a report. The plaintiff's lawyer, Majedur Rahman, confirmed the matter.

The accused include Dutch-Bangla Bank Donia branch Assistant Vice President and Deputy Manager Mohit Morshed, Assistant Officer Sourav Saha, Remittance Officer Md Rafiqul Islam, and Vice President and Branch Manager Md Golam Kibria.

The other accused are Global Golden Jute and Craft Limited chairman Mohammad Mahbub Hossain, managing director Md Hakim Ali Sardar, managers Kazi Enamul Kabir and Shawkat Hasan, and the company itself. Unidentified persons have also been named as accused in the case.

According to the case allegation, plaintiff Nargis Akter is a housewife. She deposited a total of Tk 1 crore 11 lakh 85 thousand 319, saved from selling her land and car and from house and shop rent, in an account at Dutch-Bangla Bank's Donia branch.

The allegation says that because she is illiterate, bank officials used to help her fill in cheques and deposit money.

According to the allegation, on 17 September, when the plaintiff went to the bank to withdraw Tk 5 lakh, the accused tactfully kept an extra cheque from her cheque book and took her signatures on several papers saying a DPS would be opened.

Later, on 4 October, when the plaintiff went to the bank and asked about her account balance, the accused told her that only Tk 3 lakh 35 thousand 204 remained in her account.

According to the plaintiff's allegation, when she asked about the rest of the money, bank official Mohit Morshed said that on 23 September, Tk 85 lakh had been paid by a cheque to Global Golden Jute and Craft Limited through a 'Positive Pay Instruction' form.

Nargis Akter stated in the allegation that she did not go to the bank on 23 September and did not give any cheque to that company.

The allegation further says that a forged signature and the amount were placed on the cheque fraudulently kept on 17 September, a positive pay form was prepared, and the money was transferred through clearance to Global Golden Jute and Craft Limited's account at Pubali Bank PLC's Rajbari branch.

According to the allegation, on 28 September, accused Shawkat Hasan, on behalf of the company, withdrew Tk 85 lakh in cash from Pubali Bank's Principal branch and embezzled it.

The plaintiff stated that she is not involved in any business. The allegation says the money was fraudulently moved to the company's account, opened on 1 September, with the direct assistance of bank officials.