2 IBBL officials held in DSA case for defaming S Alam Group owners

Police have arrested two more officials of the Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd, in a case filed for putting up posters and making social media posts to defame the owners of Chattogram-based S Alam Group.

The arrestees are Mohammad Kamrul Bari and Mahmud Hossain Khan.

A Dhaka court yesterday sent the duo to jail after investigation officer Mofiz Uddin, also a sub-inspector of the Detective Branch of police, produced them before the court, seeking confinement into the jail.

The DB on February 15 arrested Kamrul in the Motijheel area and Mahmud in Mohammadpur, said the police forwarding report submitted before the court.

The investigator mentioned in his report that the two arrestees disclosed "important" information on various transactions of Islami Bank.

With the two, the DB arrested 14 people, including five current and former Islami Bank officials and two minors, in the DSA case so far.

Besides, Golam Sarowar Mia, an FIR-named accused in the same case, got bail from a Dhaka court on February 9.

Abdul Kuddus, a deputy manager of S Alam group, filed the case with Gulshan Police Station on January 5 under the Digital Security Act.

The case mentioned Mohammad Nur Un Nabi, Golam Sarowar Mia and Mazharul Islam Rasel and some unknown persons as the accused.

Police arrested Rasel on December 27 in another DSA case filed by an S Alam Group official with Double Mooring Police Station in Chattogram. Nur Un Nabi and Golam Sarowar were also made accused in this case.

S Alam Group is one of the largest conglomerates in Bangladesh.

It has been in the news recently, for its alleged borrowing of over Tk 30,000 crore from Islami Bank, where it has 26.73 percent stake.

The amount was way beyond the group's entitled quota, prompting the High Court to order an investigation.