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An alleged embezzlement scheme has surfaced at Radhanagar Government Primary School in Akhaura, Brahmanbaria, a school recently recognized as the district's best. A government stipend intended for a student, Porosh Mia, was reportedly diverted to the mobile financial account of a teacher's husband for more than two years.

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I was surprised when the mother said her son had never received the stipend. After checking the records, we found another person's mobile number had been registered and immediately informed the headteacher.

The issue was uncovered when Porosh's mother, Khuki Begum, was summoned to the school due to her son's irregular attendance. His current class teacher, Swikrity Roy, warned that prolonged absence could lead to the suspension of his stipend. It was then that Ms. Begum revealed she had never received any payments for her son.

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They first denied it and later sent Tk 2,700 to my account.

An investigation by school authorities revealed that Porosh's former class teacher, Ayesha Akter, had allegedly registered her husband Ibrahim Khalil's mobile number instead of a family member's when enrolling Porosh in the government's stipend program in 2024. School records indicate that Tk 4,500 was disbursed to this account over two and a half years.

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I checked the account and found that the money had been deposited. So I returned it.

Headteacher Mousumi Akter stated that after initial unresponsiveness, Ibrahim Khalil eventually confirmed his identity. The school then transferred Tk 2,700 to Ms. Begum's account, though the full amount disbursed under the scheme was Tk 4,500. Ms. Akter mentioned that the previous stipend system's flexibility in linking payments to any mobile number created opportunities for misuse. The matter has been verbally reported to upazila primary education authorities, who have requested a formal complaint to initiate an investigation. Notably, Ayesha Akter is reportedly already under investigation for a separate allegation of immoral conduct.

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Once we receive the complaint, we will investigate the matter. If the allegation is found to be true, a departmental case will be initiated and necessary action will be taken.