TDS Desk

A case was filed against S Alam Group chairman Saiful Alam and his personal assistant Akiz Uddin for allegedly embezzling Tk 29 crore from a woman entrepreneur through fraud and forgery.

Najme Nowroz filed the case in the court of Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate Abu Bakkar Siddique on Thursday. She owns two restaurants in Chittagong named La Aristocracy and Fusion Eat.

Plaintiff’s lawyer Subhankar Ghosh told that the court accepted the plaintiff’s statement and ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police to investigate.In the complaint, the plaintiff mentioned that through her entrepreneurship work, she met Saiful Alam, the former chairman of First Security Islami Bank and the head of S Alam Group.

Saiful Alam initially gave the plaintiff a loan of Tk 2 crore from First Security Islami Bank’s Kazir Deuri Mahila branch to expand her business. Then, he gave a total of Tk 30 crore in several installments. These loans were taken between 2016 and 2021. In the meantime, she got introduced with Saiful Alam’s personal assistant Akiz Uddin.

Najme alleged that later, Akij Uddin and Saiful Alam embezzled Tk 29 crore from her through loans and blank checks signed by her against the previous loan. On July 22 this year, the plaintiff was threatened with kidnapping if she asked for the money back.

Najme Nowroz, the plaintiff, said, “Akij Uddin used to threaten me with disappearance and murder if I asked for the Tk 29 crore back. They (S Alam Group) are spreading propaganda against me. I could not take any action so far due to fear. Now I have resorted to the court.”

Akij Uddin was contacted several times via mobile phone for comment, but his phone was found switched off.

S Alam Group Chairman Saiful Alam is said to have remained outside the country since the Sheikh Hasina government was ousted from power on August 5. Meanwhile, his personal assistant Akij Uddin has been absconding for the past four months.