Metro rail accident: Who is actual nominee of Abul Kalam’s bank account

Irin Akhter, wife of Abul Kalam who was killed after a bearing pad from the metro rail fell on him, has stated that she never said that the nominee of the deposit of her husband’s bank account is his sister.

Abul Kalam, a private sector employee, lost his life on 26 October in Farmgate, Dhaka, when a bearing pad from the metro rail dislodged and struck him.

Two days after the incident, a post began circulating widely on various social media platforms, alleging that Kalam’s bank account nominee was his sister and further claiming that he had deprived his wife of her rightful share.

Speaking on the matter, Kalam’s wife Irin, his sister Laizu Akhter, and Irin’s cousin Arif Hossain said they were embarrassed by the false post spreading online.

When visited at the Narayanganj Deputy Commissioner’s office on Sunday, Irin said that no one had contacted her regarding the information being shared on social media about Kalam’s bank account nominee.

She explained that following her husband’s death, his body was taken to the mortuary of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital. At that time, his mobile phone, passport and wallet were handed over to the police.

After receiving news of her husband’s death from Narayanganj, Irin rushed to Suhrawardy Hospital, but the body had already been taken to the morgue by the time she arrived.

Later, when family members went to Tejgaon Police Station, police handed over Kalam’s belongings, including his mobile phone, which Irin confirmed she later received. The items were initially handed to Kalam’s younger sister, Laizu Akhter, according to Irin.

Irin further stated that, to her knowledge, Kalam had accounts in three different banks, but she did not know how much money was in those accounts or who had been listed as the nominee.

She added that the identity of a nominee is strictly confidential and not disclosed by banks under any circumstances. Therefore, it has not been possible to determine officially who was listed as Kalam’s nominee through the banks.

When contacted, Kalam’s younger sister Laizu Akhter said, “Before my brother got married, he had made his sisters the nominees of some of his accounts.

However, after his marriage, we ourselves advised him to change the nominees. My brother later made his wife the nominee for both his land and his bank accounts.”

Laizu added that the claim that his sisters were the nominees is completely false, yet this misinformation has been spreading across social media.

Family members said that Abul Kalam lost both his parents at a young age and was raised by his siblings. Among four brothers and six sisters, Kalam was the youngest brother.

In 2012, he went to Malaysia and upon returning in 2018, he married Irin. The couple have two children, a six-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter.

Speaking about the viral post, Irin’s cousin Arif Hossain told Prothom Alo, “We never said that Abul Kalam’s nominees were his sisters. This is false information being spread across various pages. It has caused us some embarrassment as well.”