CID files money laundering case against Flight Expert over Tk35cr ticket fraud

Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police has filed a money laundering case against online travel agency Flight Expert (FEBD) and seven individuals, including its top executives, over allegations of embezzling advance payments for airline tickets that were never delivered.

According to the CID, the case was filed under the Money Laundering Prevention Act with Motijheel Police Station following an investigation by its Financial Crime Unit.

The agency alleges that Tk346,931,090 (approximately Tk34.69 crore) obtained through fraud was transferred and concealed through various bank accounts.

The accused are Flight Expert Managing Director and CEO Salman Bin Rashid Shah Sayem, President MA Rashid Shah Samrat, Directors Amir Hamza Rashid Shah Nayem, AKM Shahadat Hossain and Abdul Gani Mehedi, Head of Finance Md Sakib Hossain, and Motaher Hossain, proprietor of Soma International Services.

The information was disclosed in a CID media release issued on Monday (13 July).

According to the investigation, Flight Expert began operating as an online airline ticketing platform in 2016 before expanding into hotel bookings, Hajj and Umrah packages, and other travel services. Although it was registered as a joint-stock company under the name FEBD in 2019, it continued conducting business and banking transactions under both the names Flight Expert and FEBD.

The CID found that the company sold airline tickets through both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) channels. By offering unusually large discounts on various occasions, it allegedly collected substantial advance payments from sub-agents and customers across the country.

However, instead of providing the promised tickets, the company's Managing Director, Salman Bin Rashid Shah Sayem, reportedly left Bangladesh on 1 August 2025.

The investigation further revealed that funds deposited into bank accounts operated under FEBD were later transferred to various accounts maintained in the name of Flight Expert.

Investigators also found preliminary evidence that money was transferred to, withdrawn by and converted through accounts belonging to different individuals and organisations in an attempt to conceal the source, ownership and nature of the proceeds of crime.

Read More

Tk983cr spent on Mujib Year celebration: Finance minister

According to the CID, even after the managing director left the country, several directors and the company's Head of Finance continued withdrawing and transferring significant sums from various bank accounts. These transactions allegedly demonstrate the misappropriation of funds obtained through fraudulent means.

The investigation also found that although Flight Expert sourced airline tickets through International Air Transport Association (IATA)-accredited travel agencies, in many cases customers paid the full ticket price but never received their tickets. In some instances, the company allegedly accepted payments from multiple sources for the same ticket.

The CID said its preliminary findings indicate that the company fraudulently misappropriated Tk346.93 million before laundering the funds through a series of transfers, transactions and conversions via the banking system.

The CID will conduct the investigation, and further investigative activities are continuing in the interest of the case.