The directors of Al-Aqaba Multipurpose Cooperative Society are planning to take thousands of rupees of common people’s deposits in Jamalpur and migrate abroad. About 14,000 depositors of the association are disoriented after losing money. No one is getting any benefit even after protesting and suing for deposit refund.
It is known that on 19 October 1997, Al-Aqaba Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited was registered (Registration No. 85) from the Jamalpur Cooperative Office. Later he opened an office in his own building in Balijuri Bazar area of Motherganj upazila. In order to increase customers and collect deposits, they opened branches of the association in Jamalpur Sakal Bazar (Dhakaipatti) area.
A 9-member committee was formed with Jahangir Alam, a resident of Banakura area of Jamalpur city, as president and Mohsinul Kabir Souza as general secretary to manage the association. They collect a large number of customers with the lure of high profits in a short period of time. Customers invest in savings societies hoping for higher returns. Gaining customer trust by making profits first. At one point, the number of customers of the association increased to about 14 thousand. From the year 2012, the directors of the association started full banking activities including lending program. Customers deposit huge sums of money in the association for the sake of profit. In this, the deposits of the society’s customers exceed thousands of crores of rupees.
It is alleged that the directors of the association started business by setting up private hospitals, brick kilns, garment factories and other institutions in the district with the huge deposit money of the customers. Consumers complained that early last year, they stopped giving loans and profits to depositors. After that, when the customers went to withdraw their deposit money, the tussle started. A few days later, the directors went missing after locking the office overnight. Since then the depositors have gone wild and cannot find them.
Aggrieved customers said that several cases have been filed against the directors of the association in Motherganj and Jamalpur police stations to recover the money. In this case, the president of the association, Jahangir Alam, and the general secretary, Mohsinul Kabir Sooza, were arrested by the Jamalpur police station. After being released from jail for a few days, they disappeared again.
For a year, customers have been protesting and protesting to get the money back. Recently, Mukul Begum of Jhaugara village of Motherganj upazila joined a human bonding program at Bakultala in Jamalpur city. According to him, he deposited Tk 5 lakh in Al-Aqaba Association in 2017 in the hope of double profit. Even if he gives profit for the first few days, he is not given any profit for a long time. Due to the disappearance of the association, he is in a lot of turmoil in his family.
Ruhul Amin of Chargolabari village of the same upazila has deposited Tk 10 lakh and is about to start his business. Shafiqul Islam of Phulkocha village of Melandah upazila did not get any profit by paying Tk 17 lakh 50 thousand. He had deposited money in the society in the hope of profit and all his mango peels were gone.
Ripa Akhter of Motherganj said that he is about to demolish the house by keeping money in the society. They wanted the government’s intervention so that the directors of the association could not leave the country.
According to human rights activist Jahangir Selim, those who have made innocent people destitute with the lure of more profit, need to be arrested and punished exemplary. Besides, he demanded to confiscate the assets of the directors of the association and return the money to the customers.
Even after calling the mobile numbers of the directors of the association several times, the phones were found to be switched off. However, Jamalpur district cooperative officer Abdul Hannan said that no cooperative society can carry out banking activities under the Cooperative Societies Act. Therefore, the process of canceling the registration of the accused association is going on. According to his claim, the amount of deposits of 13 thousand 332 customers of Al-Aqaba Association is Tk 718 crore 98 lakh according to the account received from the customer. However, the amount of money as private will exceed thousands of crores.
Jamalpur Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Mohabbat Kabir said two cases
have been filed against 8 directors of Al-Aqaba Cooperative Society. President Jahangir Alam and General Secretary Mohsinul Kabir Souza have been arrested. Efforts are on to arrest the other directors.
Mahmudul Hasan, OC of Madarganj police station, said that his police station has several cases and arrest warrants against the directors of Al-Aqaba Association. All the accused are absconding.