Sudhanshu Shekhar Bhattacharya, the former Director General of the Postal Department, has been arrested. He was detained by the Anti-Corruption Commission’s (ACC) Assistant Director Nazir Akand on the night of Tuesday, October 15, in connection with a corruption case.
According to ACC Deputy Director and Public Relations Officer Md. Akhtarul Islam, the process of presenting him before the court is currently underway.
Bhattacharya faces allegations of embezzling hundreds of crores of taka under the pretext of providing digital services to rural communities. Reports indicate that he was involved in irregularities across various activities, including procurement and the establishment of digital post centers.
On August 20, the ACC filed a case against Bhattacharya for alleged irregularities in the purchase of servers and UPS amounting to 15 crore taka as part of a project. He is accused of misappropriating 540 crore 94 lakh taka under the guise of digital centers. These claims were substantiated by an investigation report conducted by the Postal Department.
Previously, in 2020, he was sent on forced leave as part of an inquiry into allegations of embezzling hundreds of crores of taka related to corruption and disciplinary violations. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Post and Telecommunications had recommended his removal at that time. Additionally, he faced criticism for visiting the Prime Minister at Ganabhaban on August 14, 2020, despite testing positive for COVID-19.
