DOM-INNO effects: Home buyers trapped, projects abandoned
For nearly two decades, DOM-INNO promised modern living spaces across Dhaka’s prime neighbourhoods. Instead, it left behind half-built towers, court battles, and ruined dreams
Highlights:
- DOM-INNO left 56 projects incomplete, cheating thousands of buyers
- Buyers paid Tk3,000 crore for undelivered apartments, no refunds
- MD Abdus Salam accused of fraud, laundering funds abroad
- Over 250 cases filed: fraud, embezzlement, cheque bouncing, forgery
- Housing funds diverted into other businesses, including pharmaceuticals
- Victims may seek High Court writs for redress
Once a household name in real estate, DOM-INNO Properties Ltd is now mired in lawsuits, corruption probes, and accusations of swindling thousands of apartment buyers and landowners.
For nearly two decades, DOM-INNO promised modern living spaces across Dhaka's prime neighbourhoods. Instead, it left behind half-built towers, court battles, and ruined dreams.
According to the Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB), the company has faced complaints involving 142 projects over the past 15 years. In at least 56 of these, all flats were sold in advance but never handed over. Buyers paid for around 2,000 apartments — valued at over Tk3,000 crore — that remain incomplete to this day.
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DOM-INNO and its MD face over 150 fraud-related cases, including 136 lodged at Banani Police Station alone. Around 250 legal actions — spanning fraud, cheque bouncing, embezzlement, and money laundering — are currently in various stages of trial
Buyers cheated, landowners displaced
Many landowners who partnered with DOM-INNO under joint development agreements now live in rented homes, as neither promised payments nor finished flats were delivered. Buyers, too, allege they have been waiting for over a decade without progress.
While the real estate company keeps saying that it is "working towards solutions," affected buyers allege that apartment handovers and rent payments have remained pending for over a decade.
A company official told TBS that the Managing Director (MD) Abdus Salam is currently abroad — a claim that TBS could not independently verify.
Cases pile up, ACC probes
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) accuses DOM-INNO's Managing Director Abdus Salam of defrauding buyers, laundering funds abroad, and diverting investments into other ventures — including Leon Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Salam, once jailed in a corruption case, is believed to have fled the country after the political transition in August 2024.
DOM-INNO and its MD face over 150 fraud-related cases, including 136 lodged at Banani Police Station alone. Around 250 legal actions — spanning fraud, cheque bouncing, embezzlement, and money laundering — are currently in various stages of trial.
The company's MD, Abdus Salam, was jailed in an ACC case during the previous Awami League government, but secured bail. Following the political changeover on 5 August 2024, he reportedly left the country, according to company insiders.
Around 250 cases have reportedly been filed against DOM-INNO and its MD, Abdus Salam, by real estate clients and the ACC on charges of fraud, embezzlement, cheque bouncing, and money laundering
Tricks of the trade
Speaking to TBS, former REHAB first vice president Kamal Mahmud alleged that "Abdus Salam leveraged the influence of his brother, Awami League's Science and Technology Affairs Secretary Abdus Sabur, to carry out such fraudulent activities with impunity."
"Salam's misconduct was not limited to apartment buyers and landowners. Since before 2010, DOM-INNO allegedly mortgaged land and under-construction apartments to banks for loans even before selling them to customers. As a result, many apartment buyers, despite having taken possession, have not received ownership deeds to this day," he claimed.
"Several banks and financial institutions have now filed cases to auction off these mortgaged properties, putting apartment buyers at risk of losing ownership altogether," Kamal told TBS.
Take the case of Barrister Abdul Halim, a Supreme Court lawyer who bought a 1,200 sqft flat in the "DOM-INNO Invierno" project in the capital's Elephant Road in 2008. As per the agreement, the flat was slated for handover in 2010.
Buyers who invested over Tk3,000 crore report that they have yet to receive their flats, while some landowners say they have not been paid as per their contracts
Abdul Halim said, "Before handover, DOM-INNO demanded Tk2 lakh from all flat owners, including me, citing extra construction costs. After paying, I moved into my unit in a 15-story, 108-apartment building, only to find flaws like water leakage, weak balconies, cramped parking, and monsoon flooding. Despite full payments, ownership registration was delayed six years, with an extra Tk1.5 lakh charged."
"I had to take legal action [filing a writ] to force the company to register my apartment ownership, which only happened in early 2016 after a High Court order," he said.
"From buying the flat to getting ownership, it was nothing but suffering. Even as a lawyer, it took me almost six years to fight for what was rightfully mine. I can only imagine the struggles of ordinary buyers from this company," he added.
Like Barrister Halim, hundreds who purchased flats from DOM-INNO projects faced similar hurdles. Many of these buyers even defaulted on the loans they took to buy flats, leading to subsequent legal actions.
For instance, in 2008, machinery parts trader Mahmudul Hasan purchased a 1,300 sqft flat from a DOM-INNO project in Armanitola, Old Dhaka, for Tk92 lakh, partly financed by a Tk70 lakh bank loan. Sixteen years later, the project has not been completed. Hasan told TBS, "I am now without my apartment and facing legal issues over the loan."
For buyers who were defrauded after paying for apartments, the recovery of their money depends on the resolution of the fraud cases in court, said Barrister Abdul Halim.
Additionally, if any buyer wishes, they can individually or collectively file a writ in the High Court seeking redress for this issue, said the Supreme Court lawyer.
Contractual breaches rife
Alamgir Hossain, a resident of Armanitola in Old Dhaka, entered into a contract with DOM-INNO in 2007 to construct 104 apartments on his 26-katha ancestral land. The agreement stipulated completion of the building within five years and handover of the apartments. However, after 18 years, construction remains incomplete.
In 2015, Alamgir filed a case against DOM-INNO. The company's MD, Abdus Salam, submitted a sworn affidavit to the court promising to resume work, but according to the landowner, only about 30% of the construction has been completed, leaving the building partially abandoned.
Under the contract, Alamgir was entitled to half of the 104 apartments (52 flats). He told TBS, "Only the ground floor has been built. Yet DOM-INNO sold my 52 flats to other people. The company also failed to pay the agreed Tk10 lakh per month in rent for the delayed handover, resulting in a debt of nearly Tk10 crore. Even with a court order, DOM-INNO has not complied."
Another buyer, Middle-East expatriate Nazmul Haque, paid Tk80 lakh to DOM-INNO around 18 years ago for a 1200 sq ft apartment in the same Armanitola project. He has neither received the apartment nor a refund.
"I invested the majority of my earnings abroad for this apartment. Although I have filed a case, nothing has been resolved. My life has been consumed by court battles," he said.
Similar issues have plagued nearly 56 DOM-INNO projects, affecting both landowners and buyers, with apartments undelivered or delayed despite advance payments.
According to an ACC official involved in the investigation, Salam is alleged to have established other business ventures using funds obtained from investors through DOM-INNO housing projects
A plethora of complaints in 56 never-ending projects
DOM-INNO is currently involved in 56 housing projects across Dhaka's Gulshan, Banani, Uttara, and Dhanmondi areas. Most of these projects began 15–18 years ago but remain incomplete, according to REHAB complaints from landowners and apartment buyers.
Buyers who invested over Tk3,000 crore report that they have yet to receive their flats, while some landowners say they have not been paid as per their contracts.
In one example, DOM-INNO started constructing five luxury buildings on 29 katha of land at Holding No. 55 in Nayapaltan. Although the land was acquired in 2007, construction began only in 2011.
Completion was scheduled for 2014, but around 40% of the work remains unfinished, and construction has stopped. Landowners claimed they have been living in rented homes for 14 years, with the Tk9.38 lakh per month due as rent for the delayed handover remaining unpaid.
Additionally, more than 70 apartment buyers in this project say they paid roughly Tk1 crore each, yet the work was never completed.
Such issues are reportedly widespread across DOM-INNO projects, affecting both landowners and buyers, many of whom remain without their apartments despite advance payments.
Allegations of the landowner's signature forgery
In 1974, Sirajul Islam was allocated five katha (6.25 decimals) of land in Banani by the then Dacca Improvement Trust (DIT), now Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).
Following his death, ownership of the plot passed to his wife, Begum Rokeya Islam, his sons Md Enamul Haque and Md Ekramul Haque, and daughters Akhtar Banu and Nahida Akhtar.
On 17 December 2006, a contract was signed with DOM-INNO Properties Ltd for constructing an apartment building on the plot. One heir, Enamul Haque, did not sign the contract, but DOM-INNO reportedly assumed construction responsibilities through a power of attorney.
Enamul Haque was living in London from 2005 to 2010. According to allegations submitted to the ACC, DOM-INNO MD Abdus Salam allegedly forged Enamul Haque's signature to secure building design approval from Rajuk.
The ACC filed a case on 8 November 2016 at Banani Police Station, with five individuals accused in connection with the contract forged without Enamul Haque's signature. The case remains under trial at the Dhaka Special Judge Court. Abdus Salam was previously jailed for a period in this case, but was later released on bail.
In addition to allegations of signature forgery, MD Abdus Salam faces accusations of acquiring illegal assets. According to an ACC investigation report, Salam declared a net worth of Tk29.10 crore in his income tax returns for the 2015–16 fiscal year. However, he failed to provide documentary evidence for the sources of the declared funds, and the income sources he cited were deemed inconsistent with the declared net worth.
Around 250 cases have reportedly been filed against DOM-INNO and its MD, Abdus Salam, by real estate clients and the ACC on charges of fraud, embezzlement, cheque bouncing, and money laundering.
Diverting housing funds to other businesses
The ACC filed three cases against Abdus Salam on allegations of fund misappropriation and money laundering related to these housing projects.
According to an ACC official involved in the investigation, Salam is alleged to have established other business ventures using funds obtained from investors through DOM-INNO housing projects.
He reportedly owns an agribusiness and manufacturing company called AffixBD. In 2013, he is said to have founded a drug manufacturing firm, Leon Pharmaceuticals Ltd, which produces pharmaceutical products for the local market and exports to Europe and Asia.
The official told TBS that Salam allegedly used money invested by flat buyers to establish these companies. Despite claims that DOM-INNO failed to deliver apartments to investors, these businesses continue to operate.
At its peak, DOM-INNO gained Tk1000cr annual turnover
Established in 2002, DOM-INNO Properties Ltd initially thrived, achieving rapid growth and completing around 254 residential projects. At its peak, the company reportedly reached an annual turnover of Tk1000 crore.
Since 2010, however, the company has experienced a decline. Industry insiders and former company officials allege that this was linked to irregularities and fraudulent practices by MD Abdus Salam.
A former DOM-INNO official alleged that "in various projects, Abdus Salam collected land from owners and, even before construction on those plots, sold the units, raising around Tk3,000 crore. He then used that money to establish several separate companies, including a pharmaceutical firm, and also transferred funds abroad."
"In some completed projects, low-quality construction materials were used, buyers were unfairly overcharged, and forged signatures were used to obtain building approvals from Rajuk. Salam exploited legal loopholes to carry out these activities," the official claimed, requesting anonymity.
What the DOM-INNO authorities said
When TBS tried reaching Salam on his mobile for a comment on the allegations, the phone was switched off, and WhatsApp messages went unanswered.
Omar Faruk, the company's assistant manager, told TBS on 31 August, "The company is facing difficulties. The MD [Abdus Salam] is currently abroad, though we don't know which country. We are working to resolve issues with apartment buyers and landowners, and some positive progress is being made every day."
What is the solution for affected buyers?
Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Abdul Halim said defrauded buyers can recover their money depending on ongoing fraud cases and may also file a writ individually or collectively in the High Court seeking redress.
He said that landowners who gave land to DOM-INNO usually did so through a permanent power of attorney, which cannot be easily revoked. Therefore, obtaining effective remedies in lower courts is unlikely.
In such cases, buyers who signed agreements for apartments may file a writ in the High Court, citing their entitlement to a fair share. This could lead to a solution. The court may direct the relevant government authorities to take responsibility for resolving the issues. If the abandoned projects are investigated and a report submitted, the court can take action based on the findings.
Additionally, a commission could be proposed in the writ petition specifically to address DOM-INNO's problems.
