Jhalakathi, May 11 (V7N) - Three owners of a private NGO 'Gram Bangla Savings and Loan Cooperative Society' have gone into hiding after embezzling around 120 million taka from customers in Uttampur area of Rajapur upazila of Jhalakathi. Angry customers formed a human chain and staged a protest program in front of the NGO's office on Saturday (May 10) afternoon.

More than 600 customers had been regularly depositing money in the cooperative society, which was established about 12 years ago. It is alleged that the three directors of the institution—Saiful Islam Swapan, Farid Hossain and Sajal—recently went into hiding without any prior notice. This has left customers worried about the safety of their deposits.

Participating in the human chain, victims Farzana Usnat Jahan Usha, Md. Dulal, Golam Maula, Md. Nanna Howlader, Md. Rubel Hossain, Md. Ayub Ali and Kurchia, among others, said that they had deposited the money they had saved with much difficulty in that NGO. Now the authorities' disappearance has left them in extreme uncertainty.

In this regard, Mossah Shahnaz, field officer of the Gram Bangla Savings and Loan Cooperative Society, said, "We have collected 1.5 crore taka from this society by going to the customers and promising to give 2,000 taka profit on 1 lakh taka per month."

In this regard, Obaidul Haque Nani, president of Gram Bangla Savings and Loan Cooperative Society and former UP member of Ward No. 4 of Baraiya Union, said that they are preparing to return the original money to the customers. For this reason, the payment of FDR profits has been stopped for the time being. He also said that all customer deposits will be paid within the next two years.

The affected customers have sought the intervention of the relevant administration for a proper investigation into the incident and a speedy refund of their money.

END/AIJ/RH/