NGO official goes missing with 10 crore taka of customers

An NGO named ‘Ant-Tabara Rajshahi Limited’ has gone missing in Bagmara after defrauding its customers of around 10 crore taka. In protest of this incident, on Tuesday (September 23), protesting customers in Bhabaniganj Bazar staged a protest march demanding the arrest of NGO director Mushfiqur Rahman and president Madrasa Super Mofazzal Hossain and surrounded the office. In addition, written complaints have been submitted separately to the Upazila Executive Officer and the police station on behalf of the affected customers demanding the return of the deposited money. Mushfiqur Rahman, son of Ayen Uddin of Champakuri village of Maria Union, and his younger brother Mashiur Rahman and Mofazzal Hossain, Super of Uttar Ekdala Dakhil Madrasa, have recently started two family NGOs named ‘Ant-Tabara Rajshahi Limited’ and ‘Ant-Tabara Karmachar Samabay Samity Limited’ in Bhabaniganj Bazar with 10/12 members. Then they resorted to fraud and extorted eight lakh taka from Paikpara Madrasa Superintendent Abdullah, five lakh taka from Baikuri village madrasa teacher Jamal Uddin, five lakh taka from Ramzan Ali of Bilbari village, five lakh taka from Azufa Khatun of Paikpara village, two lakh taka from Saheb Ullah of the same village, five lakh taka from Abdur Rahman of Panishail village, five lakh taka from Nazmul Haque of Kastanagla village, five lakh taka from Tanjima Akhter, widow of Bhabaniganj Municipality, three lakh taka from Shirin Akhter, five lakh taka from Zarjis Hossain, three and a half lakh taka from Rushi Begum, twenty-three lakh taka from Mostaq Ahmed, two lakh taka from Abdus Salam, twelve lakh taka from Harun, five lakh taka from Nazmul Haque Johnny, seven lakh taka from Khushi Khatun and her mother, and five lakh taka from Raich Uddin and Abul Kalam of Jhikra village. He had collected deposits of Tk 10 crore from about 500 customers, including Tk 20 lakh from goldsmiths, Tk 4.5 lakh from Abu Hena Mustafa Kamal of Balia village and Tk 20 lakh from Saiful Islam of Saguna village.
Then, the NGO’s director Mushfiqur Rahman went missing a few days ago after handing over the NGO’s office building to his younger brother Mashiur Rahman. When this news spread in the area, angry customers gathered at Bhabaniganj Bazar and staged a protest march and surrounded the NGO office.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mahbubul Islam said in this regard that the NGO’s director has been in hiding for about a week fearing that the customers will return their deposits. Complaints have been received from the affected customers in this incident. The matter is being investigated.