Massive 4.38 Crore Taka Vault Heist Uncovered at Agrani Bank

An extensive law enforcement investigation is underway following the theft of 4 crore 38 lakh Taka (43.8 million Taka) from the cash vault of Agrani Bank PLC’s Laldighi East Corporate Branch in Chattogram. Located inside the Zila Parishad building at Laldighir Par, the state-owned commercial bank uncovered the severe cash shortage during internal end-of-day reconciliation, prompting swift police action and the arrest of two individuals.

Manipulated Note Bundles Used to Conceal Deficit

The substantial deficit came to light on the evening of 9 August when officials performed a routine audit comparing physical cash held in the vault against daily transaction logs. Upon discovering a total shortfall of 4 crore 38 lakh Taka, management questioned the branch’s Senior Officer and Cash In-Charge, 41-year-old Mohammad Kamrul Hossain, who failed to offer a viable explanation for the discrepancy.

Following an official complaint filed at Kotwali Police Station by Mostaq Ahmed, General Manager of the Laldighi East Corporate Branch, investigators scrutinised bank registers, account documents, and vault records. The inquiry exposed a deceptive stacking method used to bypass routine visual inspections:

• Outer Layer: High-denomination 1,000-Taka notes were positioned on the outside of each currency stack.

• Inner Core: Lower-denomination notes, such as 100-Taka or smaller bills, were stuffed inside the interior.

• Result: Vault bundles appeared fully intact during superficial checks, concealing the mounting deficit over an extended period.

Embezzled Capital Diverted into Livestock Enterprise

According to statements cited in the First Information Report (FIR), Hossain allegedly siphoned the bank’s money to fund a private agricultural enterprise in collaboration with a co-conspirator, 25-year-old Mohammad Zafarullah Tanveer.

The misappropriated funds were directed into “Ishrat Agro”, a livestock farm operating in the North Burischor locality of Hathazari, Chattogram. The farm, which currently holds 50 to 60 cattle of diverse breeds, was reportedly managed by Tanveer under an arrangement to share business profits generated from the diverted banking funds.

Both Hossain and Tanveer were taken into custody following the 10 August case filing and subsequently transferred to prison by court order. Investigating officers seized two mobile phones and a 64GB flash drive containing electronic correspondence and WhatsApp messages to aid the prosecution.

Defence Denials and Internal Governance Concerns

The charges have been strongly disputed by Tanveer’s family. His father, Azim Ullah, asserted that his son had no employment or customer relationship with Agrani Bank and operated an independent livestock business prior to these events.

Azim Ullah claimed that Hossain occasionally provided Tanveer with short-term capital for trading, later retrieving the principal alongside a share of the profit. He stated that Hossain summoned Tanveer to the branch late on 9 August under misleading circumstances. Family members arriving at 1:00 am were denied access before police arrived at 2:00 am to detain both individuals. The defence contends that Tanveer was unjustly implicated and forced to sign documents under pressure without documented proof linking him to the missing 4 crore 38 lakh Taka.

The incident has drawn critique from legal professionals regarding institutional oversight. Chattogram Judge Court advocate Anwar Hossain highlighted that a loss of this scale indicates broader institutional vulnerabilities, noting that liability must extend beyond the cash in-charge to examine branch management supervision and internal control mechanisms. Inspector (Investigation) Mohammad Iqbal Hossain of Kotwali Police Station confirmed that proceedings remain active as authorities continue to evaluate all potential leads.