3 Ctg Wasa engineers arrested over graft

A team of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday arrested three top Chittagong Wasa engineers, accused in a graft case in 2004.
They are Chief Engineer Shafiqul Islam, Superintendent Engineer Mohammad Shafiullah and Assistant Engineer AKM Abdul Kuddus.
Sources said an ACC team accompanied by Rab members raided the Chittagong Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) office at about 10:30am and detained the three.
ACC Chittagong Divisional Director Maj Zulfiqur Ali Mazumder led the team.
The arrestees were produced before the Metropolitan Magistrate's Court that sent them to jail rejecting the bail prayers.
Magistrate Amitabh Sarker directed the jail super to take necessary steps as per the jail code after the defence lawyers sought proper treatment for the accused in jail, sources said.
Maj Zulfiqur said the three officials misappropriated Tk 1,689,964 through irregularities in laying PVC pipeline in 3 kilometre area of the city's Panchlaish stretching from Panchlaish Girls High School to Takter Pool in 2002.
The then Bureau of Anti-Corruption filed a case with Kotwali Police Station against five people including the arrestees on May 24 in 2004, sources said.
The court also issued warrant against two other accused -- former assistant engineer Abu Taher and contractor AN Faruq Ahmed.
Meanwhile, ACC yesterday detained five post office officials at its head office for misappropriating Tk 42 lakh, reports our staff correspondent in Dhaka.
The arrestees are Motor Vehicle Tax operators Badal Kumar Nandi, Sufia Begum, Abu Siddik Miji, Farid Ahmed Patwari and Farid Ahmed Khan.
ACC Assistant Director Monayem Hossain arrested the five, summoned by ACC for questioning, when they came to its head office yesterday.
They lost their jobs after ACC filed two cases with Ramna Police Station against them in January for misappropriating the money.
ACC alleged that they misappropriated the money by forging tax stamps in 2001.
They were sent to a Dhaka court yesterday afternoon.