Former Barisal Mayor Khokon Gets US Golden Visa for 160 Million Taka

An investigation has revealed that Serniabat Khokon Abdullah, former mayor of Barisal City Corporation (BCC) and Sheikh Hasina’s cousin, has taken a US Golden Visa by investing about 160 million Taka. It has been alleged that before leaving the country in the face of public protests, he smuggled a huge amount of money abroad and later is trying to settle down by investing in businesses in Texas, USA. In the meantime, allegations have also come to light that he took commissions by signing backdated checks worth crores of Taka from contractors.
The sensational thing is that while he was absconding in Khulna, Khokon signed backdated checks worth about 270 million Taka for several BCC contractors. Khokon’s then APS Rubel took the checks from Barisal to Khulna, got them signed and brought them back to Barisal. He was assisted by two officials from the Engineering (Civil) and Accounting departments of BCC. One of them is the leader of the Bangabandhu Peshajibi Parishad. And in exchange for signing the check, Sheikh Mujib’s sister-in-law Abdur Rob Serniabat’s son, a former mayor, took 20 to 40 percent of the total bill. After receiving the money, he signed the check.
Although not involved in Awami League politics, Khokon was made mayor through a show election only on the Sheikh family’s quota. The miscreants are investigating allegations of embezzlement of hundreds of crores of taka in various ways in just 7 months. On the morning of August 4, when students and a public gathering were shot at, the mob beat and killed Barisal Metropolitan Awami League leader Tutul Chowdhury. Khokon was terrified by this incident. At night, the Awami League leader called a ward councilor and two Jubo League leaders to his rented house on Alekanda Road. That’s when he decided to leave Barisal.
One of the three leaders present at Khokon’s house that night said, “Although it was decided to sit together and discuss, Khokon left quietly without telling anyone. At around 3 am, two special forces vehicles escorted the car carrying the former mayor and his wife with security in front and behind. At least half an hour after he left, we came to know that he had left. From Barisal, he went straight to Khulna and stayed at the house of his brother-in-law Mithu in the Sonadanga area. After staying there for a few days, he took shelter in the house of an influential leader of the Khulna BNP. During the Awami government, Khokon had helped that leader in the business and trade of Mongla Port for a long time. He himself was the president of the Mongla Port Stevedores Association. He used to supply necessary goods to sea-going ships. We spent the rest of the night at that house and left in the morning.” Khokon Abdullah decided to leave Barisal at midnight on August 4. Preparations lasted for 3 hours. An Awami League leader present at his house that night said, “In these three hours, he packed all the cash and gold jewelry in the house into a bag. Later, I heard from the then APS Rubel who was helping him that there was about 16 crore taka there. However, neither he nor his wife took any clothes with them. With that huge amount of money, they went to his brother-in-law Mithu’s house in Khulna. From there, the money was sent to a Jubo League leader through a hundi, who fled to Malaysia after August 5. From Malaysia, the money was later sent to Singapore through multiple fake companies in the name of Mayor Khokon’s son Pratyush. Pratyush is already a US citizen. Since the source of money has to be disclosed to get money in the US, Khokon used to send money there through a fake company opened in Singapore. Most of the huge amount of money he embezzled from becoming mayor until August 5 was smuggled to the US in this way. In addition, “the money earned from the Mongla port-centric business was also smuggled there.” However, when he sent the last 16 crore taka, he lost 3 crore taka. The person to whom the money was sent from Bangladesh through hundi in Malaysia lost 3 crore taka; when he sent it to Singapore, he also lost 3 crore taka. Khokon also had a fight with that person over this.

He tried to leave the country under the shelter of a BNP leader in Khulna. He tried four times and failed the first time. Finally, in the last week of October, he entered Assam, India, through the Tamabil border in Sylhet. He flew to West Bengal from Guwahati airport. He and his wife stayed in a rented house near New Town Action Area-1 in Kolkata.
An Awami League leader from Barisal, who is based in Kolkata, said, “Khokon rented a car here for 1 month. The car and the driver lived in his house.” On November 5, 2024, the couple was seen walking hand in hand at Access Mall in Kolkata. Khokon started trying to reach his son in Texas, USA, from Kolkata. Since his son Pratyush is a US citizen, it was not much of a problem for them. In early December, Khokon flew from Kolkata to the US with his wife.
A Barisal Metropolitan Awami League leader, who is currently based in Texas, said, “Khokon and his wife went to the US on a US plane.” They got visas for about 160 million taka under the latest golden visa opportunity of the Trump government. They are in Texas under that opportunity. They have also bought a department store and a petrol pump in the US. Efforts are being made to get both of them citizenship there by showing this investment and business. Pratyush Serniabat had already bought two houses in Texas. Khokon and Luna are living in one of them.”
A leader of the Barisal Metropolitan Awami League, whose activities are banned in Kolkata, said, “Khokon Abdullah became the mayor only to make money. He did that in the 7 months of his office. He has embezzled hundreds of crores of taka. He is now living in the US with that money. And we are running away after eating.”
Although all known numbers of Khokon Abdullah were called to talk about these matters, they were disconnected. His former close associates said that he has no contact with anyone in the party.