The National Board of Revenue’s (NBR) Central Intelligence Cell (CIC) has seized two safety deposit lockers belonging to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Agrani Bank in Dhaka — just days after a similar seizure at Pubali Bank.
The action was carried out on Wednesday following confidential intelligence, officials said.
A senior CIC official confirmed the development, saying the move is part of a broader investigation.
The lockers are located at Agrani Bank’s principal branch in Dilkusha (formerly the Local Office Branch). One locker is numbered 753 with key number 200, and the other 751 with key number 196.
Legal procedures were followed to secure the lockers, though their contents remain unknown.
According to CIC sources, opening the lockers will require both sets of keys — one held by the bank and the other by the account holder. Since Sheikh Hasina is not present, officials said the lockers will be opened through a legal process.
Earlier, on September 10, NBR seized a locker belonging to Sheikh Hasina at Pubali Bank’s Motijheel Corporate Branch located in Sena Kalyan Bhaban. With the latest operation, three lockers held by the former prime minister across two banks have been seized so far.
Pubali Bank officials previously disclosed that Sheikh Hasina’s accounts at the branch hold Tk 56 lakh, including Tk 44 lakh in a joint savings account with her sister Sheikh Rehana and Tk 12 lakh in a fixed deposit. These accounts, opened decades ago, have had no recent transactions but accumulated interest over time. Withdrawals have now been prohibited.
NBR Chairman Md. Abdur Rahman Khan said earlier that intelligence agencies are conducting routine operations as part of ongoing investigations.
Sheikh Hasina resigned and left Bangladesh on August 5 last year following a student-led uprising that toppled the Awami League government. Since then, the interim administration has launched tax evasion and corruption probes against Hasina and members of her family, under which the NBR’s seizure operations are being carried out.
