The Rapid Action Battalion yesterday arrested seven members of a gang for allegedly withdrawing huge amount of money from different banks in the capital through forgery.
They were all from Badda, Uttara and Baridhara during a drive, said Mufti Mahmud Khan, director of the RAB’s Legal and Media Wing, at a press briefing at its headquarters.
The arrestees were named as Jakir Hossain, 41, Al-Amin alias Sumon, 26, Md Rizvi Khayer, 37, Abul Kalam Shaikh, 58, Abul Hashem Pramanik Sawpan, 38, Waheduzzaman Sohel, 36, and Sonia Akther alias Lipi alias Sahinur, 20.
During primary interrogations, all seven confessed to being involved in bank cheque forgery and withdrawing around Tk50 lakh to date, Mahmud said.
He added the seven would collect details of bank accounts, particularly ones belonging to expatriates, and then commit their crimes by manipulating some dishonest officials of the relevant banks.
The elite force recovered different instruments of cheque forgery from their possession.
Among other things, recovered were three cheque books of various banks, 200 cheques leaves, 102 bank cheque photocopies, 286 pages of statements, 114 account opening forms, 10 signatures and seals of 10 important persons.
Mufti Mahmud said Jakir Hossain, who used to lead the gang, had an organisation named “Hossain Trade International” at Baridhara DOHS. Sonia Akther was appointed there as an office assistant and Harunur Rashid as a computer operator.
He said the organisation mainly used to make fake cheques by scanning signatures of different people. Jakir Hossain had trained them up how to erase MICR numbers from cheques and type a new one.
“Sonia Akhter has opened at least l4 to 15 accounts at different banks and became friends with four other members of the gang while dealing with bank transactions,” said Mahmud.
Al-Amin, another member of the gang, who works as a peon at the Dutch Bangla Bank in Gulshan, got to know Jakir while working in the bank, he said.
Al-Amin was paid to provide photocopies with necessary information of bank cheque clearing, he said.
Waheduzzaman, working as the bank’s relationship officer, became acquainted with Jakir while he was opening a bank account two years back. Jakir got photocopies of main cheques through Waheduzzaman.
The RAB’s media wing director said another member Rizvi had worked at two banks over three and a half years in the past, while Abul Kashem, another arrestee, had worked as an executive at a bank from 2007 to 2009.
