DB brings bribery charges against education ministry staffers, Lakehead school owner

The Detective Branch of police has prosecuted two education ministry staffers and the owner of Lakehead Grammar School for alleged bribery.

They are accused of bribing authorities for reopening the English-medium school in Dhaka, according to a case filed by the Detective Branch.

The education ministry in November ordered the school to close down after allegations that it was harbouring militancy and inspiring extremism surfaced.

DB Sub-Inspector Monirul Islam Mridha started the case with Banani Police Station Monday night.

Law enforcers arrested the education minister’s personal officer Motaleb Hossain in Mohammadpur’s Basila on Sunday night.

Education ministry staffer Nasir Uddin and Lakehead Grammar School owner Khaled Hasan Matin were detained in Gulshan around the same time.

Three of them reportedly went missing after being led away by “unidentified people” in Dhaka between Jan 18 and Jan 20. They are now detained by the Detective Branch.

“The three men are accused of bribery under the Penal Code. They will be produced to court on Tuesday,” said Banani Sub-Inspector Rafiz Uddin Ahmed.

Detective Branch Joint Commissioner Abdul Baten said Motaleb and Nasir were detained on charges of corruption while Khaled was accused of funding militancy.

He said the police found Tk 130,000 in cash on Nasir.

Separate general diaries were filed with the police to report that the three went ‘missing’.

Unidentified people led away Motaleb from his under-construction building in Basila and Khaled from in front of his institution on Saturday, according to the GDs.  

Nasir’s family said he was not heard from after he had visited an organisation in Banani last Thursday. 

Motaleb Hossain, a resident of Jhalakathi, was posted to the education minister’s office two years back.

An education ministry official told bdnews24.com Motaleb and Nasir had been working in favour of the school after getting a ‘large amount of money’ from the institution’s authorities.

“They will be penalised if the charges are found to be true in court. The ministry will take action accordingly,” Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said on Monday.