Cash donations pouring in from the faithful at Pagla Masjid, a mosque with a history spanning 250 years in Kishoreganj, shattered all previous records, reaching Tk7,78,67,537, marking an increase of nearly Tk1.5 crore compared to the last collection, by the time the counting concluded well past midnight on Saturday.

The final sum, rounded off to Tk7.79 crore, was officially announced at 2 am Sunday.

The previous highest collection, recorded in December 2023, stood at Tk6.32 crore, gathered from 23 sacks filled from nine donation boxes at the mosque.

This time, the nine boxes yielded 27 sackloads of cash, along with stones, including gold jewelry, some foreign currency, and various items whose valuation remains undisclosed.

Md Rafiqul Islam, Manager of Rupali Bank's Kishoreganj corporate branch, who was present throughout the counting process, verified the figures for the reporters.

Kishoreganj Deputy Commissioner and President of Pagla Mosque Committee Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad, along with Superintendent of Police Mohammad Rasel Sheikh, were present during the opening of the boxes on Saturday morning.

Under the supervision of six executive magistrates, including Additional District Magistrate Kazi Mahua Momtaz, a team comprising 70 bank officials and employees, 34 teachers, and 102 students of Pagla Mosque and Madrasa commenced the money counting process.

Shaukat Hossain, administrative officer of the mosque, confirmed earlier to UNB that a new record had been set by evening.

"Based on the latest information, by 8:30 pm tonight, we had already surpassed the previous record for the highest donation received in the history of Pagla Masjid," Hossain stated.