RAB arrests seven including two bank staffers over cheque fraud

The RAB says it has arrested seven members of a gang involved in bank frauds.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 17 Dec 2014, 11:41 AM
Updated : 17 Dec 2014, 12:11 PM

Those arrested include two employees of the Dutch Bangla Bank—its Shantinagar branch’s officer Waheduzzaman Sohel and Gulshan branch’s security guard Al Amin.

The elite police unit’s Assistant Director Maksudul Alam said they were arrested in an overnight raid on different parts of Dhaka on Wednesday.

He, however, did not furnish the identities of the arrested but said one Jakir Hossain ran the gang.

“They were involved in cheque frauds. Around 200 cheques of different banks, stamps, bank statements and computers have been seized from them,” said the RAB official.

He added details will be provided in a media conference later.

On Oct 26, a total of 55 cheques deposited by clients went missing from a Dhaka branch of the state-owned Sonali Bank.

Drawing money by one of these stolen cheques from a Standard Chartered Bank branch was also attempted.

Sonali Bank authorities suspended an official of the branch and opened an inquiry into the cheque theft.

Several incidents of theft of documents including cheques, demand drafts and pay orders from Dhaka branches of at least 14 banks have been reported in the last two months.

The Bangladesh Bank has written to all banks warning against attempts to commit fraud by these stolen documents.