Himu's Window

Probe finds anomalies in NGO registration Now Sylhet NGO vanishes with money from 500 depositors The Social Welfare Directorate (SWD) yesterday stand-released two officials of Natore office as primary investigation revealed irregularities in registering fraud NGOs that disappeared with members' about Tk 500 crore. Meanwhile, the tendency of disappearing with public money spreads elsewhere, as another NGO vanished, this time in Sylhet, with Tk 50 lakh from over 500 depositors, report UNB. Sources said, Social Welfare Deputy Director Mir Bux has been transferred to Bhola and registration officer Ismail Hossain to Bandarban, reports our Roving Correspondent from Natore. The steps were taken after the three-member SWD team from Dhaka probed discrepancies in Natore office in the last three days. Headed by SWD Additional Director Sailendranath Paik, the team also comprises Deputy Director (HQ) Badiuzzaman and Assistant Director Nasir Uddin. "Now they [two officials]

Tk 7cr more gone with 2 other Natore NGOs Registration of 2 NGOs cancelled Roving Correspondent, Natore The Social Welfare Directorate yesterday cancelled registration of two fraud NGOs in Natore while officials of two more NGOs disappeared with around Tk 7 crore in Natore and Rajshahi. Registrations of Freedom Unnayan Sangstha and Probhati Grameen Unnayan Sangstha that disappeared on February 28 and March 4 with huge amount of money were cancelled. Bank authorities said they have been asked by the district administration to freeze accounts, if any, of the two NGOs. Victims of these NGOs held a protest meeting in Nasratpur from where they announced to besiege Natore Deputy Commissioner's Office on Sunday. Meanwhile, Jibon Dhara, an unregistered NGO in Dhamongram village in Naldanga, and Doel Bahumukhi Atma-Karmasangsthan Sangstha in Durgapur, Rajshahi have disappeared. Jibon Dhara staffs Shahidul Islam and Moazzem Hossain told reporters the NGO had collected about Tk 4 crore from 6

Yet another NGO vanishes with Tk 2cr Probe body arrives in Natore Roving Correspondent, Natore A three-member probe committee from Social Welfare Directorate (SWD) in Dhaka arrived in Natore yesterday as another NGO disappeared from Mirjapur Diarpara in Naldanga with about Tk 2 crore. Headed by Sailendranath Paik, SWD additional director, the committee will look for discrepancies in registering NGOs that sprang up in Natore and surrounding districts and engaged in swindling people. Natore Social Welfare office registered 59 NGOs since January last year and most of them locked into illegal businesses, which the office also grossly ignored, said sources. Three officials of unregistered NGO Ashar Alo fled from the head office in Mirjapur Diarpara in Natore with around Tk 2 crore collected from around 5,000 members through 58 branches. About 100 people gathered in front of the head office with hopes of refunding. They said director Rejaul Karim, Selim and Rejaul Amin fle

Editorial Bogus NGOs' vanishing act How could they operate at all? ANOTHER form of organised extortion is increasingly in evidence going by two front-page stories run in a row by our newspaper in the last couple of days. In villages of Natore and Rajshahi, gullible people were registering with so-called NGOs on payment of money as investment promising weekly dividends. For some time impressive returns were given to members winning their confidence and thereafter the NGOs suddenly disappeared from the scene. Such vanishing acts have been performed by a number of NGOs with catchy high sounding names in Rajshahi and Natore areas cheating unsuspecting rural people of Taka 260crore in total. Deeper down, the tales are pathetic and one tends to grit one's teeth in rage when confronted with the full detail. Many sold everything they had or mortgaged their only piece of land or borrowed money from Karitas, Grameen Bank and Padakkhep and deposited it with the NGOs to

Another NGO disappears with Tk 18 lakh in Natore Victims torch office, assault UP chairman   Roving Correspondent, Natore Thousands of victims of Probhati Grameen Unnayan Sangstha went on the rampage yesterday, assaulting a woman Union Parishad chairman and torching office and chief's house in Naldanga as the NGO disappeared with about Tk 18 crore. The NGO officials went into hiding hours after being in the charge of Mahua Parvin Lipi, chairman of Biprobelgharia UP, at Monday night's meeting at the deputy commissioner's office, Natore. A huge number of police, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and members of joint forces rushed to bring the situation under control. A contingent of armed police has been on hand as the furious members of the swindling NGO might explode anytime. It could not be immediately estimated how much money the NGO swindled out of its members. Police suspect the NGO collected over Tk 150 crore from around 60,000 members in the last one yea

3 more NGOs vanish with Tk 10 crore Mob ransacks 10 NGO offices   Angry mobs ransacked 10 NGO offices and beat up officials as three more NGOs disappeared with Tk 10 crore seizing the opportunity of Natore district administration's lax management. Meanwhile, a meeting held at the district administration office yesterday decided to stop activities of all NGOs and recommend cancellation of their registration. Anarchy was prevailing in the villages of Naldanga in Natore and Puthia in Rajshahi yesterday as cheated people were desperately looking for the NGO officials concerned to get their money back. Tofazzal Hossain, Chhatni Union Parishad chairman, said: "We informed the district administration several times about the illegal monetary dealings by the NGOs. But they didn't take any action." Sajjad Hossain Mukul, chairman of Shilmaria Union Parishad, said local administration has failed to establish control over NGOs even after Freedom Unnayan Sangstha

Swindler NGO men flee with Tk 250cr 2 lakh cheated of their last penny   Anwar Ali, Rajshahi Mozahar Hossain was enthusiastic about being a member of local NGO Freedom Unnayan Sangstha in Natore depositing only Tk 6,400, as the return seemed very promising. Initially he was asked to bring two more members to start getting Tk 570 a week until Tk 29,540 in 57 weeks. Mozahar, a rickshaw-puller from Mominpur, Naldanga borrowed Tk 70,000 mortgaging his only piece of land and put down the money. He was planning to deposit more when he got back Tk 16,000 in weekly payments. Housewife Sabiha Begum of Mollapara in Puthia, Rajshahi borrowed Tk 38,000 from Karitas, Grameen Bank and Padakkhep and credited those with the NGO. She was getting Tk 3,990 per week. Like Mozahar and Sabiha, thousands of ignorant people from remote villages in Natore, Rajshahi and neighbouring districts were enthusiastic about making quick money, even by selling everything they had and taking loa