BB Probe on Khulna Branch Incident

4 sacked, 8 suspended for bank note theft

26 October 2009, 17:00 PM

Staff Correspondent, Khulna

A three-member investigation committee from Bangladesh Bank (BB) head office has identified twelve staff of different rank and status as responsible for the theft of punched and non-issuable currency notes worth about Tk 13 crore 72 lakh from Khulna branch of BB. Non-issuable currency notes of different denominations amounting to Tk 13,71,95,540 was stolen from the BB branch from May 28 to June 3 this year, according to the report of the probe committee comprising BB General Manager Ashim Kumar, Deputy General Manager Md Imdadul Islam and Deputy General Manager Khandakar Abdur Rashid. The probe committee has suggested taking legal action against the twelve responsible officials and employees and handing them over to law enforcement authorities. The committee has also suggested installation of close circuit cameras at all sensitive places of the bank and round-the-clock monitoring of its daily affairs to check such crime in future. The probe committee members who came to Khulna on last August 25, submitted report on their findings to higher authorities of BB head office in Dhaka on September 2 pointing out evidence in support of allegations against eight officials and four employees for stealing the huge amount of punched and cancelled currency notes from shredding section of the bank branch in Khulna. Following the probe report, general manager Abdus Sattar, deputy director Syed Hafizur Rahman, deputy manager Mozammel Haque, assistant managers Sajjad Hossain, Ashok Kumar Sen, Kohinur Akhter, Shiuly Biswas and Rehana Akhter were suspended on September 3 for negligence of their duty. On September 4, Joint Manager (Banking) of BB Khulna branch Govindo Lal Gayeen filed a case with Khulna Sadar Police Station accusing four employees Sheikh Shahadat Hossain, Md Mizanur Rahman, Sheikh Amjad Hossain and Abdul Malek for their involvement in the incident and the bank authorities sacked them. It was mentioned in the general diary that the eight suspended officials were also responsible for theft of the punched notes as they neglected their duties and were careless in monitoring works of the respective departments. The twelve officials and employees will be sued soon after getting 'green signal' from the higher authorities, acting General Manager of BB Khulna branch Nurul Alam Kazi told this correspondent yesterday.