TK 2cr bills taken without sinking tubewells
The Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) in Barisal yesterday filed a criminal case against 30 contractor firms for taking away about Tk 2.53 core bills without sinking tube wells during 1995-96 and 2000-2001 financial years.
Barisal PHED executive engineer Md. Yunus Ali filed the case with Kotwali model police station.
Police and PHED sources said the case was filed after Syed Yunus alias Tube Well Yunus, arrested gang leader of some 'corrupt contractors', revealed information on the blatant corruption during interrogation by Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and army.
Arrested in another cheating case, Yunus was interrogated from Sunday to Thursday during remand, the sources said.
Yunus was arrested by Rab in Dhaka on October 25. He is also accused in four other cases including three for defaulting on Tk 25 core loans from Rupali Bank.
Police prayed for more seven days remand for Yunus for interrogation. The court will hear the prayer for fresh remand next week, the sources said.
The case documents were also sent to Anti Corruption Commission (ACC), who will probe the matter, the sources said.
The Tk 2 crore tube wells were to be sunk in 11 districts in southwestern region. These include Faridpur, Sariatpur, Madaripur, Rajbari and Kushtia.
All the money was taken away by the contractors without sinking a single tube well, the sources said.
The contractors including a brother of arrested Barisal City Corporation mayor Mojibar Rahaman Sawraw belonged to both Awami League and BNP, they said.
Earlier, notorious Tubewell Yunus also took away Tk 127 crore bills in the name of sinking tube wells during Awami League rule from 1996 to 2001. A case was lodged but he managed to hush it up by using political influence.
Departmental actions including suspension and dismissal were taken against 11 PHED engineers after the blatant corruption was reported in the media but mysteriously no action was taken against corrupt contractors.
Yunus enjoyed blessings of both AL and BNP leaders dsuring their rule, the sources said.
Meantime, close aides and associates of Yunus have started filing cases against him to save their skin.
Abul Ala Moududi, an associate of Yunus and owner of Messer's Abul Ala Moududi and Munira Mosaic and Sanitary in Barisal city, lodged a case on Friday under sections 420 and 406 of the Penal Code.
In the case, Yunus, his two brothers Yusuf and Mamun and the then PHED executive engineer in Barisal Abdus Sattar were accused of misappropriating Tk 33.17 lakh in the name of bills paid against supply of materials and work done by those firms.
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