Exim Bank has lodged a case against two directors of Sikder Group accusing them of abduction and attempted murder of its Managing Director (MD) Haider Ali Khan and the AMD of the bank over a loan request.
Lt Col (retd) Sirajul Islam, a director of Exim Bank, filed the case at Gulshan Police Station on May 19 accusing Ron Hoque Sikder and his brother Dipu Hoque Sikder, directors of Sikder Group. Ron is a director of National Bank as well.
According to case statement, the incident took place on May 7 over a loan proposal of Tk 500 crore. Ron, along with National Bank MD, went to the head office of Exim Bank on Gulshan Avenue on May 7 and proposed Exim Bank MD Haider Ali Khan and the AMD to inspect the Sikder Group directors' mortgaged property against the loan.
After visiting the original Nawab Askari Jute Mill in Rupganj as collateral against the loan, the bank officials said the mortgage value of the property as security was less than the value shown in the documents.
Ron Haque Sikder then asked them to visit another property, the ‘Icon Tower’ in Purbachal. As the Exim Bank’s MD had a scheduled meeting with Bangladesh Bank on the day, he was in a hurry. But they visited the project from outside at Ron's request.
When they were returning, they saw Ron and the National Bank MD on 300 feet road and they stopped their cars. At one Stage, the National Bank MD told the Exim Bank officials that Ron was very upset and angry as they did not visit Icon Tower.
At one stage, Ron allegedly fired a shot at the Exim Bank MD that narrowly missed. When Ron was about to shoot again, the Exim Bank MD took shelter behind the car.
Later, they were forcibly taken to Sikder House at Banani at gunpoint where Ron and his brother allegedly forced the victims to sign a paper agreeing everything is alright in the project and took the additional managing director's sign as a witness.
National Bank Ltd trashed the allegations, terming the case false and baseless. It said its director did not submit any loan proposal to Exim Bank.
Police’s Deputy Commissioner of Gulshan Division Sudip Kumar told UNB that during preliminary investigation, they did not find any proof of formal loan proposal from Ron.
“We also didn’t find evidence of attempted murder but we found proof that the two bank officials were forced to go to the Banani Sikder House,” he said.
Replying to a question, he said the Sikder group director made an oral proposal for loan and also requested to visit his property. They had disagreement over valuation of the property, he said and adding that the real fact would come out after final investigation.
Meanwhile, on behalf of the National Bank, senior Advocate Abdul Baset Majumder, in a written statement said Ron did not apply for loan from Exim Bank.
He protested against the “fake and baseless case” and said his clients believe that the real offenders would be brought to justice through investigation.
(Source: UNB)
