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A letter writer at the Rajbari Head Post Office has been accused of embezzling nearly Tk 10 million belonging to more than 50 depositors after allegedly collecting money for savings accounts without depositing it into the government treasury.
The accused, Shihab Mridha, 30, son of Ayub Ali Mridha of Rashora Baghia village under Mulghar Union in Rajbari Sadar upazila, has reportedly been absconding since the allegations surfaced.
According to complaints, Shihab had been assisting customers with savings and financial transactions at the post office for several years. He allegedly collected deposits from clients through blank deposit slips while promising to open fixed-term savings accounts but failed to deposit the money at the post office counter.
The alleged fraud came to light after customers discovered that no savings accounts had been opened in their names despite making deposits.
Sources said postal officials from the Kushtia divisional office visited Rajbari on July 12 to investigate the matter. Although Shihab was reportedly found at the post office during the visit, he was not handed over to police. He later went into hiding.
Victims have since been visiting the post office demanding the return of their savings, saying they are now in severe financial distress.
On July 16, the acting Postmaster General of the Khulna South Region, Kabir Ahmed, formed a four-member investigation committee to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident. The committee has been asked to identify those responsible, recommend necessary legal action and submit a report to the Director General of the Postal Department. It has also been instructed to suggest measures to address any procedural shortcomings that may have contributed to the alleged loss of public funds.
A postal official, requesting anonymity, alleged that it would have been difficult for Shihab to embezzle such a large amount without assistance from others.
“It was not possible for him to misappropriate such a huge amount alone. He was allegedly assisted by some officials and employees of the post office,” the official claimed.
One of the victims, Monalisa Imam, said she deposited Tk 200,000 earlier this month to open a fixed-term savings account.
“Shihab completed all the paperwork and asked me to collect the passbook after a week or ten days. When I returned, I was told that no account had been opened in my name. Later I learned that he had fled after taking money from many customers,” she said.
The victims have demanded a fair investigation, recovery of the embezzled funds, immediate compensation for affected depositors and legal action against everyone involved.
Former Rajbari Head Postmaster Bikash Biswas, now posted in Kushtia, said Shihab worked as a letter writer but claimed he had no knowledge of how the alleged embezzlement took place.
Newly appointed Postmaster Shamim Ahmed said Shihab had been working as a helping hand and letter writer at the Rajbari Head Post Office since 2021 but was not a government employee.
He alleged that between January and June this year, Shihab collected customers’ deposits but failed to deposit them into the government treasury.
“I joined this office on July 6 and informed the Kushtia administrative office as soon as I became aware of the matter. We initially intended to file a general diary, but police advised us to file a case instead. However, the higher authorities decided to conduct an investigation first and formed a four-member committee,” he said.
Meanwhile, sources claimed that Shihab is the nephew of an office assistant currently employed at the Rajbari Head Post Office. They also alleged that another relative, a former mail carrier, had previously been dismissed and jailed after embezzling more than Tk 1.1 million from postal customers in 2007.