FENI — About Tk 19.33 lakh has been transferred without authorization from the accounts of three customers from the same family at the Amir Uddin Munshirhat branch of Rupali Bank in Feni’s Sonagazi, with the money moved to accounts at several other banks, customers and bank officials said.
The bank has not returned the money more than two weeks after the customers reported the loss, and angry account holders locked the branch gate and held a protest, they said.
According to customers and bank officials, Tk 33,000 was taken from the account of customer Abul Bashar, Tk 18.05 lakh from his elder son Mansur Alam, and Tk 95,000 from his younger son Iftekhar Alam. The funds were transferred to accounts at branches of Islami Bank, AB Bank, One Bank, City Bank and Rupali Bank.
Bashar told Prothom Alo that his four sons are migrant workers in Malaysia. “The money was taken from three accounts — one of mine and two of my sons — and the bank has taken no action,” he said. “There may be collusion by officials. The branch manager tried to console me by saying Tk 6 lakh of the looted money had been recovered, which is not true at all. For the past month they have been harassing me with promises of returning the money.”
Didarul Alam, manager of the Amir Uddin Munshirhat branch, said the transfers from the three accounts were made through a mobile app. “App-based transactions are monitored directly by head office. Neither I nor anyone at my branch is responsible for these transactions,” he said. “The matter is under investigation, and we are cooperating with the police.”
The affected customers said they had filed a general diary at Sonagazi Model police station Tuesday night. But the officer-in-charge of Sonagazi Model police station said Wednesday afternoon that no diary had been received. A copy of the diary held by a reporter, however, bore the signature of duty officer Padumuttar Barua of Sonagazi Model police station.
Md. Saiful Alam, the officer-in-charge of Sonagazi Model police station, said the affected customer had come to the station to file a complaint about the alleged embezzlement from the Rupali Bank branch. He was advised to file a written complaint but had not done so, Alam said. If a written complaint is received, an investigation will be opened and necessary action taken, he said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report