CID files money laundering case against Flight Expert officials over 347 million taka fraud

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Bangladesh’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has filed a money laundering case against seven individuals, including six officials of the online travel agency Flight Expert (FEBD), over the alleged misappropriation of 346.9 million taka. The case, initiated at Motijheel Police Station on July 11 under the Money Laundering Prevention Act, follows an investigation by the agency’s Financial Crime Unit into widespread fraud involving undelivered airline tickets.

According to a press statement released by the CID on Monday, Flight Expert began operations as an online ticket sales platform in 2016 before expanding into hotel bookings and Hajj and Umrah package services. Although the firm was formally registered as a joint-stock company, FEBD, in 2019, it continued to operate and conduct banking transactions under both its original trade name and its registered corporate identity. The company targeted both business-to-business clients and individual consumers, enticing them with aggressive, abnormal price discounts to secure substantial advance payments.

Investigators discovered that the firm systematically failed to provide the tickets promised to hundreds of customers and sub-agents. The CID stated that the company’s managing director, Salman Bin Rashid Shah Sayem, fled the country on August 1, 2025. Prior to his departure, the agency alleged that the firm engaged in complex financial maneuvers to conceal the origin and ownership of the illicit funds. Investigations revealed that money collected through FEBD accounts was frequently funneled into various Flight Expert bank accounts, then moved, withdrawn, or converted to obscure the trail of the proceeds.

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Evidence gathered by the CID suggests that even after the managing director left the country, several directors and the head of the company’s finance department continued to withdraw and transfer significant sums from the firm’s accounts. The probe further revealed that while the company utilized travel agencies authorized by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to secure tickets, it frequently withheld travel documents despite collecting full payments from customers. In some instances, the agency allegedly collected payments from multiple sources for the same ticket.

The CID has confirmed that it will continue to lead the investigation into the company’s operations. Law enforcement officials are currently conducting further inquiries to trace the full extent of the financial irregularities and identify all parties involved in the alleged scheme.