Ex-minister Zahid Maleque’s family company BD Thai reports Tk1.5cr robbery loss

A listed company owned by former health minister Zahid Maleque and his family, BD Thai Food & Beverage, has informed capital market regulators of a robbery and looting incident at its factory in Bara Narayanpur of Dhamrai upazila.

In a disclosure to the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC), the company said machinery and cash worth an estimated Tk1.5 crore were stolen during the incident on the night of 10 February. A first information report (FIR) was filed with Dhamrai Police Station on 11 February.

The company notified the BSEC of the incident through a letter dated 19 February, which was published on Thursday on the websites of the country's two stock exchanges.

It said the same factory had previously been targeted in two robbery incidents in December 2024 and January 2025. Although complaints were lodged with police on those occasions, no suspects have been arrested, and the stolen goods have not been recovered.

The repeated incidents have made it nearly impossible to keep production operational, the company said, adding that safeguarding the interests of stakeholders has become extremely difficult.

In a letter describing the latest incident, Managing Director Md Rabiul Alam said the assailants first tied up and assaulted six to seven security personnel on duty before looting key machinery and other assets.

The stolen items include a 1,400 KVA substation with all internal components, rendering it inoperative; ten high-capacity power motors; parts of three generators; copper bars; ST and LT electrical equipment; two computers; four mobile phones belonging to night guards; and Tk1.5 lakh in cash. Office partitions and lockers were vandalised, and a private car was damaged.

While the direct loss of machinery and cash is estimated at Tk1.5 crore, the company said the broader impact on production and marketing is irreparable.

Tarifful Islam, accounts and administration officer of BD Thai, filed the FIR with Dhamrai Police Station in connection with the incident.