Summary:
- Anti-Corruption Commission uncovers Tk14,000 crore in suspicious transactions across 49 accounts linked to Narayanganj Union Chairman Md Lak Mia, revealing assets worth Tk58.70 crore against declared income of Tk3.46 crore.
- Lak Mia’s wife, Mahmuda Begum, faces charges for Tk14.50 crore in illegal assets, with Tk461 crore transacted through her 14 accounts, while his employee Mohsin Molla—earning Tk12,000/month—handled Tk10,322 crore via his companies.
- The three-term Awami League chairman, arrested in Operation Devil Hunt, allegedly acted as a “cashier” for ex-MP Nazrul Babur, amassing wealth via land grabs and fraudulent property transfers spanning 450+ bighas and 11 Dhaka properties.
- ACC expands probe into systemic corruption, targeting Lak Mia’s family and associates, exposing how Bhai Bhai Spinning Mills served as a front for laundering illicit gains tied to murder and graft charges.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has uncovered over Tk14,000 crore in suspicious financial transactions across 49 bank accounts tied to Md Lak Mia, chairman of Brahammandi Union Parishad in Narayanganj’s Araihazar Upazila. The anti-graft body filed a case against him on 6 March 2025, alleging illegal asset accumulation worth Tk55.23 crore and implicating his wife, employee, and associates in a sprawling financial network.
Investigators revealed Lak Mia’s declared income of Tk3.46 crore starkly contrasts with his total assets of Tk58.70 crore, including deposits and withdrawals exceeding Tk14,000 crore between 1990 and 2024. His wife, Mahmuda Begum, faces separate charges for Tk14.50 crore in undisclosed assets linked to transactions of Tk461.17 crore in 14 accounts. The ACC also flagged Tk10,322.76 crore in suspicious activity tied to Mohsin Molla, Lak Mia’s employee, whose Tk12,000 monthly salary belied his role as director of two firms handling billions.
Lak Mia, arrested on 25 February during Operation Devil Hunt, is a three-term chairman and influential Awami League member in Araihazar. Local BNP leaders allege he acted as a “cashier” for former MP Nazrul Islam Babur, leveraging political clout to seize over 450 bighas of land and 11 Dhaka properties through coercive transfers. While projecting himself as an industrialist via Bhai Bhai Spinning Mills, ACC records indicate the mill served as a front for laundering illicit gains from land grabs and fraudulent transactions.
The scale of alleged graft extends beyond Lak Mia. His daughters, Minju Akhter and Hafsa Akhter, alongside Mohsin Molla’s wife, are under scrutiny for holding shares of the family’s fortune. Mohsin’s companies, NRB Textile Mills Ltd and M/S NRB Traders, channeled Tk5,161 crore through accounts despite his nominal salary—a pattern the ACC vows to probe further.
The case underscores systemic corruption in local governance, with ACC Director General Md Akhtar Hossain emphasizing renewed efforts to trace illicit wealth. As Lak Mia faces murder and attempted murder charges alongside financial crimes, the probe risks implicating higher-ranking Awami League figures linked to his ascent. With public anger mounting over elite impunity, the ACC’s next moves could test Bangladesh’s resolve to dismantle entrenched patronage networks.
