Over Tk 3 cr stolen thru' forged LC: ‘Ringleader’ held

Abdul Matin prepared a fake LC for 5 lakh US dollars using forged signatures and seals of the officers of Agrani Bank's Ramna branch in Dhaka to import 1,000 tonnes of lentil from India, police said.

Indian company, Sandy Apparel dispatched 1,000 tonnes of lentil through Hili Land Port in Bangladesh against the LC.

When the Indian exporter sent a letter to Agrani Bank and claimed payment of money, the bank authorities informed them about non-issuance of such LC from their Ramna branch.

A representative of Sandy Apparel came to Dhaka and searched for Abdul Matin. When he sought help from Matin's business partner Zakir, he informed the Indian exporter that he and his other partners Tutul and Motaleb gave Matin Tk 87 lakh for opening the LC. But Matin embezzled the money as well as the exporter's money, Zakir said.

When the lentils reached Hili port, Matin took delivery by using fake import documents and sold it without informing Zakir and others. Matin arrested from a house in Uttara in Dhaka following arrest of Zakir.