Fake NGO men vanish defrauding thousands

Demonstrators block Dhaka-Uttaranchal highway at Konabari yesterday demanding punishment to the officials of a swindler NGO in Kamarkhanda upazila in Sirajganj district.Photo: STAR

Hundreds of agitating people from different villages put up a barricade yesterday disrupting traffic on the Dhaka-North Bengal highway in Kamarkhanda upazila demanding arrest and punishment to the so-called officials of a 'fake' NGO.
Earlier, they demonstrated at Bordhul Bazar, brought out a procession there and held a rally on Tuesday.
Sources said, a group of swindlers collected about Tk 6 crore from thousands of poor and illiterate people of different villages in the name of an NGO. Later, they vanished with the money.
The alleged swindlers introduced themselves as the officials of PDP and collected Tk 4,000 from each villager in Kamarkhanda, Raiganj, Ullapara, Shahzadpur, Belkuchi and Sirajganj Sadar upazila promising to give each of them a cow in exchange for the amount.
Sometimes they also said they work for National Service Development Programme (NSDP), a project of PDP and took Tk 2,000 from each person promising them to provide a tube-well. Thus the swindlers realised about Tk 6 crore defrauding about 10,000 people in last two years, villagers said.
Shahidul Islam of Bordhul village told this correspondent that he paid Tk 4,000 to one Rashed as he promised to give him a cow. "But I never got the cow," he said.
Sarower Hossain, who was cheated in the same way said, he also gave the same amount to one Abdus Samad, a colleague of Rashed.
Many people of Charia Uzir village in Ullapara upazila said, they paid at least Tk 2 lakh to the fraud gang for cow and tube-well.
Villagers of Dadpur in Raiganj upazila said that the swindlers took away at least Tk 4 lakh from them.
An official of a local NGO told The Daily Star that the leader of the gang earlier worked at an NGO. But he was dismissed for his illegal activities.
Contacted, A K M Aminur Rahman, UNO of Kamarkhanda upazila said, he had heard the matter and talked with many victims. I have already asked the law enforcers to take necessary steps, he said.
Police said, they got the information but are yet to get any written complaint. So we are unable to take any action now, they said.