Land audit turns into alleged bribe collection drive in Lakshmipur

A district accounts superintendent of the Land Ministry has been accused of demanding bribes ranging from Tk60,000 to Tk2 lakh from each of 18 union land offices in Lakshmipur Sadar upazila in the name of auditing their accounts for the 2025-26 fiscal year.

Md Manjurul Alam, district accounts superintendent (revenue) of the Land Ministry, allegedly demanded a total of Tk12.6 lakh from the offices and threatened officials with harassment through fabricated audit objections if they failed to pay, according to a written complaint.

Lakshmipur Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Mahbub Hasan said a Deputy Assistant Union Land Officer had lodged a complaint against Manjurul Alam. He said the complaint had been forwarded to the Land Ministry and that action would be taken following an investigation. The complaint said Manjurul Alam held two meetings with land office officials on the nights of October 5 and 6 at a one-storey building in the old Shaheed Minar area of the district town to discuss collecting the money. According to the complainants, CCTV footage showed him meeting the officials on 5 and 6 October.

The complainants also claimed to have an audio recording of the conversations. On 7 October, Manjurul Alam allegedly visited a union land office for an audit and received Tk60,000 in cash. He later left another office without conducting an audit after noticing the presence of journalists, the complaint alleged. Since 11 October, land officials have reportedly been facing renewed pressure to pay the demanded amounts in the name of the audit.

A leader of the Land Officers’ Welfare Association, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the audit official had demanded between Tk 60,000 and Tk 2 lakh from each office. "Despite repeated requests, he remained firm on his demand.”  Manjurul Alam was also accused of collecting around Tk50 lakh from different land offices in the district during the previous fiscal year.  After being contacted, Manjurul Alam admitted meeting land officials and said,  "Yes, I took money, but not as much as they have claimed. There are many issues involved.”