RAJUK office assistant owns 8-storey building in Dhaka

Zafar Sadek has been working as an office assistant in the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (RAJUK) with a net salary of Tk 40,000 per month. 

In this job for the last 16 years, he built an eight-storey building in the capital’s Aftabnagar area, bought a 1,600 square feet flat in Moghbazar, and a shop at Mehman Tower in his wife's name in Shantinagar. Also, he uses a luxurious personal car. 

Zafar disclosed his properties during a recent grilling in the custody of an intelligence agency. Prothom Alo obtained a video clip of the questioning on Friday. 

According to intelligence sources, Zafar Sadek secured the RAJUK job on the recommendation of a minister in 2006. Along with his official duties, he was involved in illegal activities like clearing ways for construction designs and selling RAJUK plots (in collusion with other officials). He earned crores of taka from the illegal side work.

In a conversation with Prothom Alo on Friday, Zafar Sadek admitted that he was questioned at an intelligence agency office recently. 

He said it takes years to get a construction design passed by the RAJUK if there is none to assist. If he assists a client to get his or her design approved, it earns him a whopping amount of money, ranging from Tk 0.4 million to 1.6 million, based on the floor counts of the building. 

He pays half of the amount to manage other officials and keeps the rest for himself. Also, he works as a broker in the plot business and earns a handsome amount of money.  

While talking to Prothom Alo on Friday, Zafar admitted the ownership of the eight-storey building in the Aftabnagar area. He, as a broker, used to sell three to five plots a month and earn Tk 200,000 to 300,000 from each sale. He made the properties with these earnings.    

The eight-storey building is situated on Road No 5 at the D Block of Aftabnagar. Its caretaker Jahangir told Prothom Alo on Friday evening that Zafar Sadek and his brother own the building, but none stay there.  

Zafar said he bought the land at Tk 7.2 million in 2015 and constructed the building at a cost of Tk 15 million in 2020.  

He does not attend office, rather keeps some others to do his job in exchange for money. 

He is also the president of RAJUK employees welfare trust. He runs his unlawful activities using this position.