2 held as Tk 4.38cr went missing from bank vault

Tk 4.38 crore has allegedly gone missing from the cash vault of Agrani Bank PLC’s Laldighi East Corporate Branch in Chattogram.

The incident reportedly occurred on August 10 but came to light on Thursday (August 13).

Branch General Manager Mostak Ahmed filed a case with Kotwali Police Station on August 10 against Cash-in-Charge Md Kamrul Hossain, Md Jafarullah Tanvir and several unidentified individuals.

Police have already arrested the two bank officials named in the case and sent them to jail through a court order.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), Kamrul Hossain was responsible for managing the branch’s cash and vault.

A discrepancy was detected on August 9 while officials were reconciling the cash balance with the vault records after the day’s banking operations and transactions had ended.

A subsequent review of the vault accounts, relevant records and documents revealed a shortage of Tk 4.38 crore, the FIR said. Kamrul Hossain allegedly failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the shortfall.

According to the FIR, investigators found during interrogation that Kamrul would place Tk 100 or smaller-denomination notes inside bundles of Tk 1,000 notes while depositing cash in the vault.

As a result, the bundles appeared from the outside to contain the required amount, while the actual cash held in the vault was significantly lower, according to the case statement.

The FIR further alleged that the money obtained through the scheme was invested, under the supervision of Jafarullah Tanvir, in establishing a cattle farm called “Ishrat Agro” in the North Burishchar area of Hathazari.

The farm currently has around 50 to 60 cattle of various breeds, according to the case.

Kotwali Police Station Inspector (Investigation) Md Iqbal Hossain said the two accused named in the FIR had been arrested.

Police also seized two mobile phones, WhatsApp communication records and a 64GB pen drive from them, he said.

The investigation is ongoing, police said. Investigators will examine the seized devices and documents and question relevant individuals to determine the full extent of the alleged embezzlement and whether others were involved.