A Dhaka court has sent Munshi Manzur-e-Elahi, also known as Manjurul Alam, to jail after rejecting his bail petition in a case over the alleged embezzlement of Tk6.23 crore from a businessman by promising to arrange a five-katha Rajuk plot in Uttara.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Zakir Hossain passed the order on Tuesday. Abdulllah Al Mamun, a lawyer for the complainant, confirmed the matter.
According to the case statement, the complainant, Md Nasir, proprietor of Prashanti Enterprise, knew the accused and had been involved in a joint land trading business with them in Dhaka.
Under an oral agreement, Nasir was entitled to 50% of the profits from land sales, with the remaining half going to the accused.
The accused allegedly told Nasir that a five-katha Rajuk plot was available in Uttara for Tk5–6 crore and could later be sold for Tk9–10 crore. Persuaded by the offer, Nasir visited the plot on August 1, 2023, and agreed to invest.
The complaint alleges that the accused subsequently collected Tk6.23 crore from Nasir in instalments through pay orders and cash, claiming the money was needed for the advance payment and registration of the land.
Several crore taka were transferred through pay orders issued by City Bank and IFIC Bank in favour of Md Robiul Alam, proprietor of Rafin Enterprise, and another accused, Munshi Manzur-e-Elahi.
Other alleged members of the group, including Rafiqul Islam, Md Anisur Rahman Mia Hasib, Hasna Hena and Asif Hasan Tulip, also collected cash from Nasir at different times, according to the complaint.
Despite receiving the money, the accused allegedly delayed handing over the plot. They later stopped answering Nasir's calls and vacated their office in Sector 16 of Uttara after locking it, the complaint says.
When Nasir sought a refund on December 1, 2024, the accused allegedly refused to return the money.
Nasir filed a Complaint Register (CR) case with the court on December 29, 2024. The court took cognisance of the case the same day and directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate. Following the investigation, the CID submitted its report on June 30 this year.
Meanwhile, victims formed a human chain on the court premises from Tuesday morning until afternoon, demanding Manjurul Alam's trial.
They also called for the swift arrest of other alleged members of the fraud syndicate, the recovery of the money and stronger intervention by the authorities.
