At least 76 individuals of eight countries were involved in committing cyber robbery of Bangladesh Bank’s US$81 million in 2016, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police has reportedly concluded.
Also, 13 high officials of the central bank were found to be liable for or negligent of their duties during the cyber hacking of the reserve money deposited with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
However, a Bangla daily reported, the police has not yet arrested anyone in this connection.
Once a case Bangladesh filed with the US court demanding recovery of the lost money, Dhaka’s Motijheel police station will submit the charge-sheet, as per ‘top-level directive’, Prothom Alo reported on Friday (February 4), the sixth anniversary of the incident.
In 2016, a group of cyber attackers stole money amounting to $81 million by hacking Bangladesh Bank’s reserve money at the NY Fed and the money eventually landed in a Filipino casino. An amount of $15 million was recovered from the Philippines, which then had held hearing at its Senate.
The BB investigation report on the heist has never been published, however.
A case was filed with Motijheel police station 39 days after the incident and the then governor Atiur Rahman had top resign from this position.
According to the CID report, the central bank officials concerned effectively gave an opportunity to the hackers to break the password, by keeping the server room open, or giving internet connection or remaining absent from their duties.
The officers assigned to carry out the investigation interviewed two persons concerned in Sri Lanka and the Philippines and they admitted their involvement. The officers secured information from five countries but not from the US and India about complicity of their citizens.
“It’s an inter-state crime,” Md. Humayun Kabir, superintendent of CID’s financial crimes, reportedly said. The CID has completed the probe by this time.
On this issue, ex-governor Atiur Rahman said the central bank was a victim in this case and the government of Bangladesh had already filed a suit with the US court. “Bangladesh Bank did not sue me (in this connection),” he was quoted to have said.
