Investigative Stories
The Daily Star Investigation / SS Power Plant: S Alam nexus laundered $815m through two LCs
SS Power opened the LCs to import capital machinery for its Chattogram-based 1320MW coal-based plant, but even a single item did not enter Bangladesh against these LCs. And yet the money crossed the border as monitoring by the authorities took back seat.
How Hasina’s flight was kept off radar
When the air force transporter plane carrying Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka on August 5, it took off as a training flight and turned off its transponders to blur its flightpath and location..The transponders, which transmit location, heading
The Daily Star Investigation / A councillor and his illicit tobacco trade
A significant share of Bangladesh’s illegal cigarette market is controlled by two companies where Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) Councillor Abdus Sabur Liton and his brother have the majority stakes, an investigation by The Daily Star has found.
20 plates of rice, 118 plates of curries for a lunch of 4!
NRBC Bank’s top managers have great appetites.
The Daily Star Investigation / Dubious reward for a select few
Only a select 27 employees of NRBC Bank were given salary hikes, and that too astonishingly, in 2022 in violation of banking rules as well as NRBC’s own human resources policy
The Daily Star Investigation / NRBC branch covered up capital flight
Export proceeds worth at least $3.45 million (Tk 34.41 crore) were not repatriated by six customers of NRB Commercial Bank’s Uttara branch, and the bank concealed the trail of the capital flight, according to the bank’s internal audit and case documents.
The Daily Star Investigation / Gun in NRBC Bank boardroom
During the 40th board meeting of NRBC Bank on February 7, 2016, current Chairman Tamal Parvez and Director Adnan Imam entered the boardroom accompanied by a man carrying a large gun. Both Tamal and Adnan were board directors back then.
Star investigation / Sex trafficking: The untold exploitations of Bangladeshi women in India
Many Bangladeshi sex workers, once victims themselves, now serve as brothel managers, perpetuating the vicious cycle. They employ fellow countrywomen, who later become traffickers responsible for bringing new girls from Bangladesh into the clutches of these brothels.
No coming home
After rescuing trafficking victims, the Indian police do not take them to shelter centre; they file cases under criminal laws.
Bombaypara in Narail: a sex trafficking hotspot
Two hours away from Jhenaidah’s Indo-Bangla border, the district of Narail has gained a notoriety for being one of the biggest sources of girls headed for Mumbai.
Sex Trafficking: The racket on prowl at the border
Adjacent to the border in Narail district’s Maheshpur upazila, a hidden racket facilitating the illegal crossing of people thrives, operated by individuals known locally as “Dhurs” or carriers.
Lured to India’s red light district, and a lucky escape
Every year, many girls are trafficked out of Bangladesh with the promise of a better life abroad, only to end up in the underbelly of Indian cities. The Daily Star takes a look into this dark world
Land Minister Javed owns at least 260 properties in the UK
Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed has at least 260 properties in the United Kingdom for which he has paid at least GBP 134.76 million or Tk 1,888 crore, according to The Daily Star’s calculation from company filings publicly available on UK government websites.
Spin doctors go into overdrive ahead of polls
With the national election just around the corner, both pro-government and anti-government elements are out to manipulate public opinion through a vigorous campaign on social media platforms and private messaging apps, turning them into hotbeds of spin doctoring, disinformation and fake news.
Electronic Voting Machines: Tk 940cr lost due to poor upkeep
Electronic voting machines, first introduced in 2011 in Bangladesh, and touted as a great tool for voters to exercise their franchise, were adopted on a large scale for voting in six constituencies in 2018.
Of illegal sand lifting and Dipu Moni’s 15 letters
There were no signs of life on the Meghna river as our engine boat cut through the darkness on the night of October 5. It was around 12:30am.
Cardiac Implants For Children: Top hospitals using unauthorised devices
Unauthorised companies are smuggling a number of cardiac medical devices into the country and selling those to some of Dhaka’s top public and private hospitals without proper vetting, raising questions about health regulations and patient safety.
Barind Farmers: At mercy of ‘water lords’
On April 9, Mukul Soren, a Santal farmer in Rajshahi, drank pesticide in a suicide attempt over not getting irrigation water from the same deep tubewell that allegedly led to the suicide of two farmers, also Santals, last year.