ACC sting catches Dhaka surveyor accepting part of ‘Tk 8mn bribe’

A surveyor at Dhaka’s Lalbagh Revenue Circle has been detained by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over an alleged Tk 8 million bribe demand for land demarcation and mutation.

Mohammad Asadul Islam was caught taking Tk 100,000 in an ACC sting operation on Tuesday morning, the agency said.

Retired soldier Monirul Islam holds registered irrevocable powers of attorney from the owners of 282 decimals of land in Lalbagh’s Char Kamrangi, authorising him to act on their behalf.

He applied to the Dhaka deputy commissioner on Apr 27 to demarcate the land, separate government property from private plots and prepare a map.

After nearly six months of repeated visits to the Lalbagh office without progress, he was referred to surveyor Asadul.

The graft watchdog says Asadul demanded Tk 8 million to complete the work, including land mutation.

Monirul then reported the demand to the ACC and requested a sting operation. After an initial inquiry, a special team from the agency’s Dhaka-1 district office carried out the operation on Tuesday morning.

Legal steps are under way to file a case against him and produce him before a court, the ACC said.

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