Tk 87 lakh drawn from Magura Sonali Bank sans authority

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Magura, Aug 13 –A total of Tk 87 lakh was reportedly withdrawn without authorisation from a customer’s corporate account at Sonali Bank Ltd. PLC’s Magura branch.

Account holder Md. Titul, chairman of Usha S.C. Ltd., has lodged a formal complaint, alleging that the entire amount was withdrawn using forged documents, possibly in collusion with bank officials.

Md. Titul said he had never collected or used a cheque book for the account (No. 2414200018352), into which funds from various organisations were deposited.

Titul claimed that despite strict banking protocols, the substantial sum was withdrawn in phases — sometimes in amounts as large as Tk 10 to 20 lakh — without his knowledge or consent.

“There is a banking rule that mandates confirmation with the account holder even for withdrawals above Tk 50,000,” Titul said. “Yet, I received no call or message from the bank. The mobile number registered with the account is not even mine. My original number is 01685-55 76 56.”

Titul alleged forged signatures were used to issue a cheque book and execute the fraudulent transactions.

He also alleged that no attempts were made by the bank to notify him through official communication channels during the series of unauthorised withdrawals.

When contacted, the current branch manager said that the incident occurred during the tenure of a previous manager, implying that the responsibility lies with his predecessor.

Regarding official action despite receiving a written complaint from the customer, he said, "I repeatedly requested that customer to come to the bank, but he did not come."

Md. Titul has since requested the Sonali Bank authorities for criminal proceedings under the penal code to identify the fraudsters.

With no legal steps taken by the bank thus far, victim Titul is preparing to file a case in court against Sonali Bank. - UNB