Staff Reporter:

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police has arrested a former bank official for allegedly using a customer’s returned credit card for nine years and making transactions worth more than Tk 17 lakh.

The arrestee, Sarwar Hossain, 40, was detained from the Dhaka’s Gulshan area on Monday afternoon, according to a CID press release issued on Tuesday.

CID said the fraud began in 2017 when a customer applied for a credit card but later decided to return it. Sarwar, who was then working as a senior relationship officer in retail banking card sales, allegedly kept the card instead of submitting it to the bank.

He reportedly changed the customer’s contact information by adding a fake mobile number and address, enabling him to receive one-time passwords (OTPs) and use the card for transactions.

According to CID, Sarwar continued using the card even after leaving the bank in 2019.

However, it did not disclose the name of the bank where he had worked.

The fraud came to light when the customer checked his Credit Information Bureau (CIB) report, found an outstanding loan in his name, and filed a complaint with Bangladesh Bank.

Following an internal investigation, the bank uncovered the irregularities and filed a case with Tejgaon Industrial Area Police Station on April 15.

CID said Sarwar made transactions exceeding Tk 17 lakh through the card. Although he repaid Tk 14,13,500 over the years, an outstanding amount of Tk 5,56,995, including interest, remained unpaid.

He has been accused of embezzling the outstanding amount. CID said the process of producing him before a court is underway.