Case filed against Flight Expert for embezzling millions, 3 officials arrested

A case has been filed against Flight Expert, one of the country’s leading online ticket booking platforms, for allegedly embezzling millions of taka from customers. Police have arrested three officials of the company in connection with the incident.

The arrested individuals are: the agency’s Head of Finance, Shakib Hossain (32); Chief Commercial Officer, Sayeed Ahmed (40); and Chief Operating Officer, AKM Sadat Hossain (32).

Motijheel police station officer-in-charge Mesbah Uddin told Prothom Alo on Sunday afternoon that a customer, Bipul Sarkar, filed the case against five individuals on Saturday night.

The OC further said that apart from the arrested, the two other accused are: Flight Expert’s Managing Director (MD), Salman Bin Rashid Shah Sayeem, and his father MA Rashid.

The OC added that efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining suspects.

According to police sources, 17 affected agencies have so far reported financial losses, which initially amount to approximately Tk 47.7 million.

Flight Expert abruptly shut down operations yesterday evening, causing severe disruption for ticket-selling agencies and thousands of customers who had made advance payments for bookings.

Several employees of Flight Expert have alleged that the owners closed the company and fled the country, leaving customers and partner agencies uncertain about recovering their money.

By last evening, a large number of people had gathered at the company’s Motijheel office in the capital. Most were representatives of ticket-selling agencies and supplier organisations, seeking clarification about the status of their bookings. However, many left disappointed after failing to get any concrete answers.

Flight Expert began operations in March 2017, offering services such as domestic and international airline ticket booking, hotel reservations, tour packages, and visa processing. The platform gained popularity for its easy and affordable ticket booking options.

According to multiple sources, Flight Expert did not purchase tickets directly from airlines but instead acquired them through two intermediary agencies. Many allege that these intermediaries are now refunding the tickets and withdrawing funds, exacerbating the crisis.

Prothom Alo has obtained a screenshot of a message posted by Managing Director Salman Bin Rashid in an internal Flight Expert Facebook group.

In the message, he claimed that two of his company’s officials had betrayed him. He stated that he was shutting down the company and leaving the country to protect himself from threats and slander.

However, when contacted via WhatsApp, Salman Bin Rashid denied allegations that he had absconded with the money.