A lawyer has been sent to jail in Raipur, Lakshmipur, after a court rejected his bail application in a case involving the alleged theft of a relative’s bank cheque and the forgery of her signature. Humayun Kabir Howlader is accused of submitting the cheque, bearing a forged signature and an amount of Tk 3.681 million, to a bank in an attempt to withdraw the money.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Mohammad Rezaul Haque ordered his detention on Sunday afternoon after rejecting his bail plea. The case concerns a cheque issued through the Haydarganj branch of Southeast Bank.
Court process server Md Masud confirmed the development on Sunday evening. He said Assistant Superintendent of Police for the Raipur Circle had investigated the cheque-fraud case and that the court issued the detention order after receiving the investigation findings.
Howlader, a former general secretary of the Lakshmipur District Bar Association, is a resident of Mahadebpur village in Dalal Bazar Union, under Lakshmipur Sadar upazila.
Firoz Alam, the lawyer representing the complainant, said a warrant for Howlader’s arrest had been issued on 7 October. Howlader appeared before the court voluntarily on Sunday and sought bail. Following a hearing, the court rejected his application and ordered that he be sent to jail. The other accused in the case, Abdus Shahid, remains at large, according to the complainant’s lawyer.
Alleged theft at a relative’s home
According to the case statement and court sources, the complainant, Yusuf Ali, lives in Udmara village in Raipur upazila. His wife, Mariam Begum, is related to Howlader.
The complaint alleges that Howlader took a cheque belonging to Mariam while visiting her home for a meal. The cheque was associated with Southeast Bank’s Haydarganj branch. The allegation is that he subsequently wrote Tk 3,681,000 on the cheque, forged Mariam’s signature and submitted it to the bank to withdraw the money.
The transaction did not proceed as intended. Bank officials noticed that the signature on the cheque did not match the signature held on record and informed Mariam of the discrepancy. The discovery prompted the family to pursue legal action over the suspected forgery.
Yusuf subsequently filed a complaint before the Raipur Senior Judicial Magistrate Court against Howlader and Abdus Shahid. The court assigned the investigation to the Assistant Superintendent of Police responsible for the Raipur Circle.
Investigation and forensic examination
The investigation examined the allegations surrounding the cheque and its disputed signature. According to court sources, a scientific examination conducted by a handwriting expert from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) established that the signature on the cheque had been forged.
On the basis of the investigation report, the court issued arrest warrants against the accused. Howlader’s appearance on Sunday followed the warrant issued against him on 7 October. The court then considered his bail application before ordering his detention.
The allegations relate to an attempted withdrawal of a substantial sum of money through a bank cheque. In such cases, the comparison of disputed signatures with verified specimens can form an important part of the evidence considered by investigators and the court. Here, the reported forensic findings became a key element of the investigation.
However, the detention order does not amount to a final determination of criminal liability. The allegations remain subject to the judicial process, through which the evidence and the positions of the parties must be considered. The other accused has yet to be brought before the court, according to the information available in the case.
Mediation effort fails
Monirul Islam Howlader, president of the Lakshmipur District Bar Association, said the court had asked him, in his capacity as association president, to help explore a settlement between the parties.
He said they had requested seven days to pursue the initiative. The effort did not lead to a resolution, however, because the complainant’s side remained firm in its position.
The case is now proceeding through the courts following the rejection of Humayun Kabir Howlader’s bail application. Its next stages will determine how the allegations are addressed through the judicial process, while Abdus Shahid’s whereabouts remain unknown.
