The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has found evidence of bribery and harassment of clients in land registration processes at the Madhupur Upazila Sub-Registrar Office in Tangail.
Following a day-long investigation on October 5, the ACC’s Tangail Assistant Director Nure Alam confirmed the findings in a press release issued at 9 PM.
Earlier, on October 1, several newspapers published a report titled “Service Seekers Suffer at Madhupur Sub-Registrar Office”, which prompted the ACC to launch an investigation.
According to the ACC press release, on September 28, Ayez Uddin and his six partners were unable to register their land deed after refusing to pay a bribe of Tk 55,000. The 81-year-old land seller, Abdul Majid, had to wait at the office for over four hours without success. Later, on September 30, a written complaint was submitted to the Tangail District Registrar and the ACC.
The complaint stated that Ayez Uddin and his partners agreed to purchase six decimals of land from Abdul Majid of Malauri village for Tk 31.8 lakh, with Tk 1 lakh paid in advance. The land was recorded under Malauri Mouza, SA Khatian No. 22 and BRS Khatian No. 706, Dag No. 115 (SA) and 743 (BRS). On September 28 (Sunday), both buyer and seller went to the Madhupur Sub-Registrar Office to register the deed.
Although all the paperwork was completed, the elderly seller—unable to climb to the second floor due to old age—waited for eight hours in a wheelchair downstairs. Sub-Registrar Anjana Rani Debnath reportedly demanded a Tk 50,000 bribe through a vendor, refusing to complete the registration unless the payment was made. Failing to meet the demand, the parties had to return without registering the deed. They later submitted a petition to the District Registrar and ACC seeking redress for bribery and harassment.
Acting on the complaint, Assistant Director Nure Alam and Deputy Assistant Director Md. Abdul Bashid of the Tangail ACC conducted an on-site investigation on Sunday. They interviewed the buyers, sellers, deed writers, vendors, and Sub-Registrar Anjana Rani Debnath.
Following the probe, the ACC confirmed in a press release that the allegations were found to be true. It added that relevant documents and records had been collected and a detailed report would be submitted to the Commission headquarters for further legal action.
Meanwhile, Tangail District Registrar Md. Jahangir Alam stated that a departmental investigation will also be conducted regarding the allegations.
