A gold trader in Chandpur, Pintu Das, has gone missing amid allegations that he fled with his family along with mortgaged gold jewellery and money embezzled from various people.
Pintu owns a jewellery shop, SK Jewellers and Shilpaloy at Akhand Market on Cumilla Road in Chandpur. He had been living with his wife and two children in a rented flat on the third floor of a five-storey building near the Kalibari Mandir (temple) area.
Both his shop and flat have remained locked for about a week.
Upon visiting his residence on Wednesday afternoon, the flat was found locked. Rasel Khan, the son of the building owner, said they initially assumed that Pintu Das might have gone somewhere else. However, over the past two or three days, several people had visited the building claiming that Pintu owed them money and gold ornaments.
Later, the police also came to inquire about the matter. They do not know where Pintu Das has gone with his family. His phone is also switched off.
Chandpur Model police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Foyez Ahmed said that there are allegations against Pintu of embezzling gold and money. However, no one has lodged a complaint with the police so far regarding him going missing with his family.
Visiting Pintu Das's jewelry shop on 26 August, the shutter was seen down. Other traders in that market said they had learned that Pintu’s ancestral home is in Fatickchhari, Chattogram, while his in-laws' home is in Cumilla.
Several gold traders in Chandpur told Prothom Alo that Pintu had previously operated jewellery shops in different parts of the city, including Jorpukur Par and the Kalibari Mandir area, before opening his latest shop at Akhand Market.
They said he was also involved in the gold mortgage business. He allegedly failed to return pledged gold to several people on time and had also taken business loans from different associations. Arbitration meetings had been held over some of these disputes.
Manik Poddar, general secretary of the Chandpur District Jewellers’ Association, confirmed to Prothom Alo that he had attended one such arbitration. However, he said he did not know about Pintu’s disappearance or allegations that he had fled with his family.
Another local gold trader, Habibur Rahman, said that about a year ago, a man from Patwari Bari in the New Market area had given Pintu some gold to sell when his shop was located in Jorpukur Par.
The gold was worth around Tk 750,000 but Pintu allegedly delayed payment, Habibur said. The matter was later taken to arbitration, where it was decided that Pintu would pay Tk 600,000 through three cheques.
The payment was due by 20 August. However, it was later learned that Pintu had allegedly left his rented home with his family and belongings on the night of 19 August.
Rasel Khan, who has filed a complaint with police against Pintu, said he had taken Tk 50,000 from Pintu after pledging two and a half bhori of gold ornaments.
When he later went to repay the money and recover the ornaments, Pintu asked him to contact him later. Khan said he subsequently learned that Pintu and his family had gone missing and filed the complaint after failing to recover his gold.
Binoy Bhushan Majumder, convener of the Chandpur District Hindu Buddhist Christian Students Unity Council, said no one had formally lodged a complaint with the organisation regarding Pintu.
However, the council's member secretary, Ajit Saha, told Prothom Alo that they have also heard allegations that Pintu Das embezzled people's gold and money.
Chandpur Superintendent of Police Md. Mizanur Rahman told Prothom Alo that he learned through social media about Pintu Das going missing or going into hiding.
He stated that the matter is being investigated.