4 crores removed from the vault and invested in the farm, arrested along with the cash incharge of the bank 2

Photo: Collected

News Desk: For a customer seeking a bank loan, chasing the bank manager can wear out the soles of their shoes. On top of that, they have to go through the hassle of submitting this document and that document. Even then, there is no guarantee that the loan will actually be approved or that they will be able to invest in their business.

But Kamrul Hossain, the cash in-charge of Agrani Bank in Chattogram, did not have to go through any of this. He allegedly took customers’ money directly from the bank vault with his own hands and invested it in an agro farm, specifically a cattle farm. The amount was neither thousands nor lakhs of taka. He allegedly removed Tk 4.38 crore (Tk 43.8 million).

The incident took place at the corporate branch of Agrani Bank PLC, located on the second floor of the District Council Building in Laldighi area of Chattogram. The huge cash shortage in the vault was eventually detected while the bank was reconciling its cash.

Finally, the bank manager filed a case against Cash In-Charge Kamrul Hossain (41) and his alleged associate Jafrullah Tanvir (25). They were handed over to the police.

After the case was filed on Wednesday night, the two were arrested and sent to jail custody. Several other people have also been named as unidentified accused in the case.

Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abu Zayed Md. Nazmun Nur told Jugantor that bank manager Mostak Ahmed had filed the case over the disappearance of Tk 4.38 crore from Agrani Bank’s vault. “We have already arrested the two accused and sent them to court. The court ordered that they be sent to jail,” he said.

According to the case statement and bank sources, Kamrul Hossain was responsible for the cash and vault at the branch. On August 9, after the regular banking activities and transactions had ended, officials were reconciling the cash balance with the amount stored in the vault when the shortage was detected. Although the records showed how much money was supposed to be in the vault, a physical count revealed that Tk 4.38 crore was missing.

When Kamrul Hossain was questioned about the shortage, he reportedly failed to provide a satisfactory explanation. The alleged manipulation came to light while the money in the vault was being counted.

It was found that most of the notes inside bundles marked as containing Tk 1,000 notes were actually Tk 100 notes. As a result, the bundles appeared from the outside to contain Tk 1,000 notes, allowing officials to count them and reconcile the records, although the actual amount of money inside was much lower. This startling information reportedly emerged during preliminary questioning.

The cash in-charge allegedly told investigators that he had invested the money removed from the bank in an agro farm through an associate named Jafrullah Tanvir. The cattle farm, called “Ishrat Agro,” is located in the Uttar Burishchar area of Hathazari. The farm currently has around 50 to 60 cattle of various improved breeds.

Sources said the Tk 4.38 crore shortage was accumulated between June 1, 2025, and August 9, 2026. There is a rule that a bank must reconcile its cash and vault balances every day after completing its daily transactions. This has raised questions about why the shortage, which allegedly began accumulating every day for more than a year, was not detected earlier.

Questions have also arisen as to whether the branch manager and other officials can avoid responsibility in this regard. However, sources said an investigation would determine whether anyone else was involved or whether other individuals bear responsibility.

Azim Ullah, father of arrested accused Jafrullah Tanvir, claimed that his son was not involved in the incident and that he had been deliberately framed.

Inspector (Investigation) Md. Iqbal Hossain of Kotwali Police Station has been assigned responsibility for investigating the case filed over the disappearance of money from the vault. He said the two people named in the case had been shown as arrested and sent to court. Two mobile phones, including an iPhone, were seized from them.

He added that the investigation would determine how the money was removed, whom the accused had been in contact with, and who else might bear responsibility for the incident.