Bangladesh News

Nothing would satisfy his greed for money, no matter where he earns it from–whether it is the savings of the poor family of a deceased government officer or the pockets of the alive.

But what he did not know is this greed will be the cause of his fall one day.

The greed of Noor Ahmad Mostafa, deputy director of Government Employees’ Welfare Department, finally landed him in police station yesterday after officials of Anti-Corruption Commission caught him red-handed taking bribe from the family of a deceased government officer at Agrabad CGO-1 (Chittagong government office) building.

Noor took Tk 5,000 from the family of Rafiqul Islam, the deceased inspector of the now defunct Bureau of Anti-Corruption, promising that he would no more be an obstacle to the release of the amount of Tk 1.5 lakh Rafiqul’s family is entitled to get because of his death.

Rafiqul died five years ago.

“It is like Noor was taking bribe from the dead person,” said ACC Assistant Director Sheikh Abdus Salam, who led the operation to arrest the unscrupulous government officer.

“He used to take bribe from whoever went to his office for a work to be done. People present at his office at that time brought this allegation against him,” Salam said, adding that they found Tk 5,500 more in his pocket.

Noor had refused to give the cheque of Tk 1.5 lakh to Shirin Akter, wife of Rafiqul, unless she paid him. Shirin visited the office several times in the last five years to get the benefit money of her husband.

At last, the bribe was settled at Tk 5,000 which Shirin, a resident of Noakhali, sent through parcel service to her brother Tipu in Chittagong on November 19. Tipu went to the ACC office in Chittagong yesterday morning and lodged a complaint about Noor’s illegal demand.

The ACC officers formed an operation team aided by the police and prepared an inventory of Tk 5,000 before sending Tipu to pay the bribe.

Immediately after Tipu handed over the bribe to Noor, the ACC team rushed into the office room and caught the dishonest official with the envelop of money in his pocket.

“Noor had written on the envelope the serial number of the file containing documents related to Rafiqul’s benefit, which was awaiting Noor’s approval. The way the envelope was marked bears testimony to the fact that Noor usually receives so many such envelopes every day,” ACC Assistant Director Salam said.

Family members of Rafiqul said Noor had held up Shirin Akter’s application for financial grants from the welfare and joint-insurance funds of the department for around five years.

Noor was handed over to Double Mooring Police Station where filing of a bribery case was under process.