Mongla, Sep 12 (V7N) - Nurul Islam, an employee at Mongla Port who was officially appointed as a librarian, actually worked in the property section due to unexplained reasons. During his time there, he engaged in various corrupt practices and embezzled substantial sums of money. 
 
His fraudulent activities included arranging for the disposal of dredged sand from factories, engaging in recruitment trades, and collecting bribes from businessmen for land and plot allocations at the port. He even misallocated space at the old Chalan Port to a shipping agent through irregular means and regularly extorted money from illegal structures by threatening them with eviction. His actions were shielded by Mohammad Shahinur Alam, the former Director of Administration in the Property Division, allowing him to accumulate considerable illicit wealth. The current location and extent of his amassed wealth remain unknown, but the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is actively investigating the case.
 
On August 11, after a case was filed at the ACC’s headquarters in Segunbagicha, a letter was sent to the Mongla Port Authority by ACC Director Uttam Kumar Mondol, instructing them to take action. The letter detailed the charges in case number 21/2024.
 
Confirming receipt of the letter, Mohammad Nuruzzaman, Director (Administration) at Mongla Port Authority, stated on September 12 that Deputy Manager (Administration and Staff) Mohammad Saleh Uddin Kabir has been tasked with the investigation. He is expected to submit a report within 15 working days, after which appropriate actions will be taken against Librarian Nurul Islam and former Director (Administration) Shahinur Alam.
 
Several unnamed port officials and employees reported that Nurul Islam, originally from Rajshahi, was appointed as a librarian at Mongla Port School and College in 2019. After six months, he transferred to the property section, where he engaged in corruption, accumulating several crores of Taka over two years. His activities were facilitated by then Director (Administration) Shahinur Alam, who provided him with protection and allowed him to act with impunity.
 
In response to the corruption allegations, Nurul Islam, who is now a third-class employee, denied any wrongdoing. He claimed that those who work hardest are often criticized and that the reports to the ACC came from individuals whom he had previously prevented from engaging in illegal activities.
 
Attempts to contact Shahinur Alam, now working at the ICT Ministry, for comments were unsuccessful. Calls were disconnected, and there was no response to WhatsApp messages.
 
END/AHS/SMA/