Our Correspondent :
Twenty-two accused including six former managing directors of Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited (BCMCL) have been released from Dinajpur jail on bail in a case filed over theft of the mine’s coal worth Tk243.28 crore.
The accused were released from the jail around 8:30am on Thursday following a bail order from a Dinajpur court, said Mokammel Hossain, superintendent of Dinajpur jail. Judge Mahmudul Karim granted their bail petition on Wednesday evening.
Earlier in the day, the same Dinajpur Special Judge, at a hearing, denied bail extension to all 22 accused who were previously granted interim bail in the aforementioned case and sent them to jail
According to case sources, 143,727.92 tons of coal were stolen from Barapukuria coal mine from January 2006 to July 2018, the estimated value of which is Tk243.28 crore.
This incident sparked a brawl at the time and the coal-fired thermal power plant was shut down.
Anisur Rahman, manager (administration) of Barapukuria Coal Mining Company, filed a case with Parbatipur Model police station on July 24, 2018, naming 19 individuals.
The case was handed over to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and its Deputy Director Samsul Alam later investigated the case.
On July 22, 2019, a charge sheet was filed against 23 individuals, including seven former managing directors.
The charge sheet was filed against 23 people in the court, including Mahbubur Rahman, former managing director of Barapukuria Coal Mining Company, who died.
