HC grants bail to five day-labourers
The HC expressed its disappointment over entangling day-labourers in a lawsuit instead of the swindlers
The High Court (HC) has granted bail to five day-labourers in connection with a case of embezzling of Tk2.5 crore, which they denied any knowledge of.
According to the bail plea, the defendants fell victim to a deceiving scheme by one Tanvir Islam Swapon.
The High Court bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Mohammad Ali passed the order on Tuesday after a virtual hearing of their bail pleas.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
While granting bail to the day-labourers, the HC bench expressed its disappointment over entangling day-labourers in a lawsuit instead of the swindlers.
The HC asked why common day-labourers were framed in the case and no legal action taken against people involved in the embezzlement.
The five day-labourers, who received bail are – Fulmoni Rani, a widow hailing from Fulbari, Kurigram, Ranjit Kuman, Prabhash Chandra, Komol Chandra Roy and Nikhil Chandra Bormon.
Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir represented the defendant pro bono while Deputy Attorney General Amit Das Gupta stood for the state.
According to the newspaper report attached to the bail petition of the victims, one Tanvir Islam Swapan (30) took the five day-labourers to the Nageshwari branch of Sonali Bank promising to help them get government incentives. There he opened bank accounts in their names and took them to Sreepur and got them to sign bank check books and various papers.
He eventually took all bank account papers and check books from them and promised that the incentive money will be sent to their accounts. A few days later, a total of Tk2.46 crore was credited to their account numbers. The money comes from the Sonali Bank headquarters branch.
A few days later, when 3-4 unidentified persons went to the Sreepur branch of the bank to withdraw the money from these accounts, bank officials became suspicious and they blocked the transactions. However, the strangers left the bank before they could be apprehended.
Sonali Bank's Sreepur branch manager Rezaul Haque filed a case over the incident against Sreepur Upazila Accounting Officer Bazlur Rashid, Auditor of the accounting office Arifur Rahman, master roll employee Tanvir Islam Swapan, resident of Dhaka's Uttarkhan Jamtala area Shahena Akter and the five day-labourers.
On 2 July, police arrested the day-labourers from their houses. The defendants were denied bail by the lower court and they later moved the high court for bail.
