Two Education Ministry officials including the personal officer (PO) of Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid sold a classified government document to the owner of Lakehead Grammar School in Dhaka and promised to help reopen the school.
The director of Lakehead school, which has been shut down by the government for its alleged involvement in terrorism and militancy, made a deal to pay the officials Tk4.3 lakh, according to a case filed against the three men.
Police investigations have revealed that Motaleb Hossain, the minister’s PO who was arrested on Saturday, illegally handed over a classified government document to Lakehead MD Khaled Hasan Matin, to help him reopen the school against a High Court order.
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The other ministry official allegedly involved was Nasir Uddin, an upper division assistant in the disbursement section.
On November 6, the government suspended the academic functions of Lakehead Grammar School in Dhanmondi and two other branches in Gulshan on charges of patronising religious extremism and militancy.
According to the Education Ministry, the school was running without taking government approval.
Police sources said the detained trio reached an understanding to help Matin reopen the school on December 16.
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Two days later, Nasir took the first Tk50,000 installment of a bribe from Matin. Two further trances of Tk50,000 followed on December 25 and January 11.
According to the case file, a Detective Branch team led by AC Md Rabiul Alam learned on Monday that Matin was due to hand over another part of the bribe to Nasir.
They lay in wait outside Matin’s office in Banani for Nasir, who subsequently confessed to taking a bribe when presented with the money.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police DB held Motaleb, Nasir and Matin on Sunday evening and showed them arrested in the case the next day.