In Chapainawabganj town, senior director of a non-governmental organization (NGO) named Maa O Shishu Kalyan Sangstha, Moksedul Islam, has been accused of embezzling crores of taka from hundreds of customers by luring them with promises of high profits and then going into hiding. Police have arrested six officials and staff members of the NGO in connection with the incident.
On Wednesday (September 25) at around 10 p.m., hundreds of enraged customers besieged the NGO’s office. They confined six individuals inside the organization’s city office until police intervened and rescued them, later taking them to the police station.
On Thursday afternoon, they were shown arrested in a case filed by one of the affected customers and subsequently sent to court.
Those arrested are: NGO manager Shamima Khatun (35), cashier Sumera Khatun (34), field officer Monowarul Haque (35), field officer Halima Khatun (33), staff member Nafisa (22), and cook Dulv Begum (36).
Confirming the matter, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Sadar Police Station, Matiur Rahman, said, “The NGO was established in 2011 by a man named Khairul Islam. After his death in 2022, ownership passed to his wife, Hira Moni. It was being operated on her behalf by Moksedul Islam.”
He further explained that the NGO was not approved by Bangladesh Bank to run microcredit-based operations. Instead, the institution collected money from customers through deeds (documents) with the promise of providing “high profits.” Recently, as many customers failed to get their money back, concern and unrest grew. Finally, three days ago, senior director Moksedul went missing.
The OC added, “On Wednesday night, agitated customers confined six people who were present in the office. According to the allegations, they were actively involved in collecting customers. So far, more than a hundred customers have come to the police station to file complaints, and some have shown deposit documents.”
Sub-Inspector (SI) Raju Ahmed, the investigating officer of the case, said that statements from over 50 victims have already been recorded. Many reported depositing amounts ranging from 2.5 million to 4 million taka. Some invested proceeds from selling land, while others deposited remittances sent by expatriate family members.
He said, “Victims have been advised to file separate cases. We are also verifying whether the NGO had authorization to operate its financial activities. If unauthorized operations and evidence of embezzlement are found, more severe action will be taken.”
Meanwhile, a manhunt is underway to arrest the absconding director, Moksedul Islam. Police stated that until the investigation is complete, the exact number of victims or the total loss cannot be determined. However, initial estimates suggest that more than a hundred customers may have lost over several crores of taka.
