Imran Jhenaidah Correspondent: A news conference was conducted by a couple who are the victims of a theft case to express their worries about checks that were taken after being deposited at a bank in order to obtain a loan in Jhenaidah.

In Maheshpur Upazila, victim Yasmin Akhter and her husband Shafiqul Islam held a press conference at the Jhenaidah Press Club on Friday morning. “My Maheshpur Animal Hospital Road,” Yasmin Akhter said during the press conference, voicing her complaints.

I owned a business named Salim Traders. To grow my business, I secured a loan of 18 lakh taka from the Bangladesh Development Bank PLC Jhenaidah branch in 2015, providing land deeds, various documents, and 37 signed blank checks (with serial numbers ranging from 0751399 to 0751435).

Following the loan acquisition, I was instructed to repay 61 thousand 5’60 taka in 36 installments over three years. Accordingly, I utilized a total of 13 cheque leaves numbered from 0751386 to 0751398 at the Development Bank PLC Jhenaidah branch. All the cheques I submitted are stored in the bank’s vault.

Yasmin Akhter further accused a man named Alamgir Hossain, son of Abu Jafar from Adarsh Para, Kotchandpur city, who is part of a fraudulent group, of filing a case in the Jhenaidah court, claiming he is owed 97 lakh taka from me with check number 0751434, which is held by the bank. His CR number is 239/25. However, I have deposited this check at the Development Bank PLC Jhenaidah branch, so how could this check page exist? She added that she has learned that some corrupt bank officials are colluding with the fraud ring to exploit customers.

I suspect that bank officials are part of this scheme. I have reached out to the bank’s head office, the ACC, and Bangladesh Bank seeking a resolution for this issue. I firmly demand that the members of the fraud ring, including the bank officials, be held accountable under the law. In the meantime, a source revealed that Alamgir Hossain is currently serving a three-month prison sentence for forging a customer’s check.