Chandpur Jeweler Disappears With Pledged Gold and Cash Amid Fraud Allegations
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CHANDPUR — A prominent gold merchant in Chandpur city has gone missing along with his family, amid mounting allegations that he embezzled gold ornaments and significant sums of money from local residents.
Pintu Das, the proprietor of SK Jewelers and Shilpalaya located in the Akhand Market on Comilla Road, has been unreachable for approximately one week. His store remains shuttered, and his rented apartment in the Kalibari Temple area has been found locked, with no signs of the occupants.
According to local residents and building management, Das, his wife, and their two children left their residence under mysterious circumstances. Rasel Khan, the son of the building owner, stated that neighbors initially assumed the family was traveling. However, suspicion grew after several individuals arrived at the premises claiming that Das owed them substantial amounts of money and gold. Local police have also visited the site as part of their inquiries.
Investigations reveal that Das, who is reportedly a native of Fatikchhari in Chittagong with family ties in Comilla, had been facing intense pressure over his business practices. Local jewelers reported that he had been struggling to return pledged gold ornaments to clients and had defaulted on multiple loans taken from various cooperatives. Manik Poddar, General Secretary of the Chandpur District Jewelry Merchants Association, confirmed that he had presided over arbitrations regarding Das’s financial disputes.
One complainant, Habibur Rahman, alleged that a local resident had entrusted Das with gold worth 750,000 taka. Following an arbitration session, Das had reportedly agreed to settle the debt with three checks totaling 600,000 taka by August 20. However, reports indicate that Das vanished on the night of August 19, just hours before the payment deadline.
Rasel Khan, another resident, has filed a formal complaint with the police. He alleged that he had pledged 2.5 bhori of gold in exchange for a 50,000 taka loan from Das. When he attempted to repay the loan and reclaim his gold, Das repeatedly deferred the transaction before ultimately disappearing.
Faiz Ahmed, Officer-in-Charge of the Chandpur Model Police Station, confirmed that while multiple allegations of fraud and embezzlement have been leveled against Das, no formal missing persons report for the entire family has been filed with the police as of Wednesday evening.
Chandpur Superintendent of Police Mohammad Mizanur Rahman stated that authorities are aware of the reports circulating on social media and that an official investigation into the matter is underway. As of now, the whereabouts of Pintu Das and his family remain unknown.
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