Online Desk  :   A cashier of a branch of state-owned Agrani Bank Limited has fled away with Tk 75 lakh from the bank’s vault in Chandpur district. Dipankar Ghosh, 37, cash officer of Chengar Char Bazar branch of Agrani Bank Limited at Matlab North in Chandpur, has fled away, said the bank’s manager Yusuf Mia and Matlab North Police Station’s officer-in-charge (OC) Sanwar Hossain. It is learnt that the official did not return to the bank anymore after missing with the money on July 29 last. The the bank’s manager Yusuf Mia filed a case with North Police Station’s, said OC Sanwar Hossain.

A four-member committee has also been formed by the bank’s head office in Dhaka to probe into the incident. Investigation is now going on at the initiatives of the police station concerned and the bank. Locals said the accused bank official Dipankar hailed from Manikganj district. He joined Chengar Char Bazar branch of Agrani Bank Limited at Matlab North in 2019. He lived in a rented house near Chengar Char Government Degree College in Chengar Char area under the upazila. Dipankar Ghosh was at his working place till the evening of July 28. The branch authorities kept Tk 1.02 crore in the bank’s vault in the evening on that day. The vault’s keys were with cash officer Dipankar Ghosh. He took Tk 75.20 lakh from the vault secretly and left the bank for his house in the evening. Then he left the house at night locking the doors without telling anything else to anyone. Arriving at the bank in the following morning of July 29, the branch manager and other officials found the vault opened and Tk 75.20 lakh was missing from there. Since then Dipankar had not been traced.

In this regard, the bank’s manager Md Yusuf Mia said a four-member committee was formed at the initiative of the head office in Dhaka to probe the embezzlement of money. Under the supervision of a senior principal officer (SPO), inquiry and audit have been going on since August 2 last. During the primary investigation, it was found that the cash officer embezzled Tk 75.20 lakh from the bank’s vault. While trying to make contact, the mobile phone of the cash officer concerned was found switched off.

Agrani Bank’s Chandpur Region’s DGM Tapan Chandra Sarker said probe is going on into the incident. The authenticity of embezzlement of money was detected during the preliminary inquiry. Punishment will be given according to the Banking Act if the embezzlement of money was found against the officer in final investigation. Matlab North Police Station’s OC Sanwar Hossain said inquiry is going on into the case filed over embezzlement of money from the bank. Besides, police are trying to arrest the accused.