Islami Bank Bangladesh pledges to reimburse customers following fraud at Gaibandha agent outlet
Photo Collected
Dozens of customers besieged the Dhaperhat agent banking outlet of Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC in Gaibandha on Sunday, following the discovery of a massive fraud scheme involving the misappropriation of depositor funds. The protest lasted until midnight, at which point police intervened to escort two accused staff members to the local investigation center for their safety.
The incident came to light last Thursday when Reshma Begum, a resident of Sadullapur upazila, attempted to withdraw her five-year fixed deposit of 500,000 taka. Bank officials informed her that her account held no balance and directed her to return on Sunday for further clarification. Upon her return, she was told that the deposit receipts and fixed deposit receipts (FDR) in her possession were fraudulent.
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Word of the discrepancy spread quickly, prompting dozens of affected customers to gather at the branch. Many discovered that their deposits had never been formally recorded, while others found significant discrepancies in their savings account balances. When presented with the original receipts, branch officials dismissed the documents as forgeries, fueling further outrage among the depositors.
Waliur Rahman, director of the Dhaperhat agent banking branch, confirmed that the misappropriation involved 46 customers. He identified the perpetrators as cashier Sabuj Mia and office assistant Mahbul Islam. Hadiul Islam, manager of the Islami Bank Pirganj branch—which oversees the outlet—explained that the suspects had systematically defrauded clients by issuing scanned, fake FDR certificates and counterfeit deposit slips after collecting their funds.
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Victims expressed profound distress over the loss of their life savings. Helal Mondal, who invested 400,000 taka three years ago, discovered that his FDR had never been processed. Another depositor, Laju Mondal, reported that while he had deposited 360,000 taka into his savings account, only 1,000 taka remained.
Police sub-inspector Matiul Islam stated that the situation was brought under control after the bank management provided a written guarantee to reimburse the defrauded customers within one month. The accused employees were released into the custody of their guardians following the agreement. Bank officials confirmed that an internal investigation is underway and that they are working to ensure all misappropriated funds are returned to the affected depositors.
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