Police have arrested five individuals, including two former branch managers, in connection with a massive financial fraud involving the embezzlement of tens of millions of taka from the Sreenagar branch of Agrani Bank in Munshiganj.
The arrests were carried out on Wednesday evening, 7 October 2026, by Sreenagar Police Station officers in coordination with an ongoing investigation led by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The operation follows mounting complaints from defrauded depositors who uncovered systematic manipulation of their savings accounts.
Those taken into custody include Md Jinnah Hossain, a suspended cash officer at the branch; Rezaul Haq, former branch manager and Senior Principal Officer; Md Sharif Uddin, another former branch manager and Principal Officer; alongside security guard Ronju Ahmed and suspended security guard Abdul Hai. These latest arrests bring the total number of individuals detained in connection with the scam to six.
Law enforcement officers previously arrested the central figure behind the fraudulent scheme, Md Sharifuzzaman Sohag, who served as the remittance officer at the same branch. Mr Sohag went into hiding on 22 September after the irregularities surfaced, but police tracked him down on 30 September at his sister’s residence in Middle Paikpara, Mirpur, Dhaka. During that raid, officers seized 145,200 taka in cash, three mobile phones, bank cheque books, two ATM cards, and a deposit locker key.
The fraudulent scheme unravelled after affected customers discovered that Mr Sohag routinely issued official bank deposit slips without actually crediting the funds to their accounts. In numerous instances, substantial sums were withdrawn from customer accounts without their knowledge or consent through forged signatures and altered documentation.
Panic spread among account holders on 27 September, leading to chaotic scenes at the Sreenagar branch as depositors gathered to verify their balances. By 29 September, nearly 300 customers had submitted formal written complaints to the bank authorities and local administration, with total embezzled claims surpassing 250 million taka.
Following the public uproar, Agrani Bank initiated an internal audit, suspending several officers linked to administrative oversight and financial irregularities. Simultaneously, the ACC launched a parallel inquiry, subsequently placing Mr Sohag under formal arrest in connection with corruption charges.
Mahathir Muhammad Sami, Assistant Director at ACC headquarters, confirmed that the five individuals were arrested with the assistance of local police after preliminary investigations established their direct involvement in the fraudulent network. Regular criminal cases are currently being processed against all suspects.
Inspector (Investigation) Milton Dutta of Sreenagar Police Station confirmed the detentions, adding that legal proceedings against the accused are underway. The exact extent of the financial losses and the mechanism for reimbursing affected depositors will be determined through the ongoing audit and statutory investigations.
