64 named in reserve heist draft charge sheet, 10 from Bangladesh

After nearly a decade-long investigation, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has prepared a draft charge sheet in the widely discussed Bangladesh Bank (BB) reserve heist case. The draft has been sent to the Attorney General’s Office for legal opinion. A total of 64 individuals and institutions from both and abroad have been accused in one of the country’s largest financial scandals.

CID sources said the nearly 10,000-page case dossier and draft charge sheet present extensive forensic evidence against the accused. The charge sheet was prepared after analysing documents, digital evidence, and reports collected from various domestic and international agencies during the long investigation.

According to crime analysts, it is important to accept the charge sheet quickly and begin trial proceedings to send a strong message against such large-scale financial crimes. They believe that speedy disposal of the case would help establish accountability in the financial sector and prevent similar crimes in the future.

A reliable CID source said that in February 2016, US$101 million was stolen from Bangladesh Bank’s reserve held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Unknown hackers carried out the theft by sending fraudulent SWIFT messages and siphoning off the funds. Thirty-nine days after the incident, Bangladesh Bank filed a case under the Money Laundering Prevention Act at Motijheel Police Station. CID has been investigating the case since then.

On March 11 last year, the interim government formed a six-member review committee headed by former Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul through an official notification. Under the supervision of this committee, the investigation into the reserve heist case was completed. Later, on April 1, the draft charge sheet was prepared and submitted to the Attorney General for legal opinion.

The draft charge sheet includes the names of 64 individuals and institutions. Among them are 36 individuals from the Philippines, 2 from North Korea, 3 from China, 8 from Sri Lanka, 1 from Japan, 4 from India, and 10 from Bangladesh.

Bangladeshi accused in the reserve heist

Investigation sources said findings revealed negligence, concealment of the incident, and attempts to destroy evidence by then Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman. Although there was alleged informal pressure during the Awami League government not to include him in the charge sheet, he has been named among the accused in the final draft.

Others named include former Institute of Bankers Bangladesh president Anis A. Khan, former Bangladesh Bank General Manager KM Abdul Wadud, former Deputy General Manager Rezaul Karim, then Deputy General Manager Mejbaul Haque, former Executive Director Shubhankar Saha, and four other officials.

Accused from the Philippines

The list includes Kam Sin Ong, Maya Santos Deguito, Raul Victor B. Tan, Brigitte R. Capina, Nestor O. Pineda, Romualdo S. Agarao, Angela Ruth S. Torres, Lorenzo Tan, Miss Nancy, Jao Keog, Dennis C. Bancod, Ismael R. Reyes, Sabino M. Ico, Ms. Legend J. Rasella,” Richard Insigne, William So Go (deceased), Salud Reyes Bautista Sheba, Michelle Bautista Concon, Anthony A. Pelejo, John Yu, Louis Fabregas Kho, Man Po Chan, Ming Yi Simon C., Rosalio Paranta Tanduan, Enrique K. Razón, Thomas Arasi, Jose Eduardo J. Alarilla, Christian R. Gonzales, Donato C. Almeida, and Flint Richardson.

Institutions named include Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), Philrem Service Corporation, Centurytex Trading, Abba Currency Exchange Inc., Beacon Currency Exchange Inc., Midas Casino, and Solaire Resort and Casino.

Indian nationals named include Nilavannan Madukkur Anandan, Pritam Reddy, Sudhindra Atresh, and Rakesh Asthana.

From North Korea, hacker Park Jin Hyok and the Lazarus Group have been accused. From China, three individuals—Ding Zhizhe, Gao Shuhua, and Weikang Xu—are named. A Japanese national, Sasaki, is also included.

Accused from Sri Lanka

Seven individuals and one institution from Sri Lanka have been named, including Hegoda Gamage Shalika Perera, Imiyage Don Murin Ranasinghe, Ramanayake Arachchige Don Pradeep Rohitha Damkin, Bulugaha Arambegedara Sanjiva Tissa Bandara, Werapuli Muhandiramage Priyanka Jayadeva, Louis Hennadige Shirani Dhammika Fernando, and Nishantha Nolok Walakul Arachchi. The Shalika Foundation is also included as an accused entity.

Investigation progress

The latest investigating officer, CID Financial Crimes Additional Superintendent of Police Al Mamun, said that around 80% of the investigation work had already been completed by the first investigating officer. Later, two other investigating officers collected additional information. He said the final charge sheet has been prepared based on complete evidence and submitted to the Attorney General’s Office for legal opinion. The steps will follow after receiving the opinion.

Before him, the investigation officer was Additional Special Superintendent of Police Md Farhad Kabir. During May to December 2025, he collected important forensic evidence and helped identify key accused in the case.

Sharing his experience, Md Farhad Kabir said that although most of the investigation was nearly complete, identifying the main perpetrator was difficult based on available evidence. After reviewing a forensic report, the FBI identified North Korean hacker Park Jin Hyok and the Lazarus Group as key actors. Later, with supervisory support, FBI reports were obtained and included in the case. In addition, US$81 million from RCBC Bank was recovered.

Additional DIG Raihan Uddin Khan, reflecting on the investigation, said there were many obstacles at the beginning, particularly because the case was filed 41 days after the theft, which delayed access to the crime scene.

He added that before investigators reached the scene, an unauthorised foreign IT firm and a local individual had already accessed it. Despite this, evidence was collected from and abroad and sent to the CID forensic lab for analysis. Statements were also collected from RCBC officials, including admissions of involvement by multiple foreign accused.

Former CID chief Additional Inspector General Md Sibgat Ullah said the investigation team worked continuously to bring the case close to completion and prepare the draft charge sheet, which outlines the nature of the crimes and responsibilities of all accused.

In February 2016, US$101 million was stolen from Bangladesh Bank’s reserves held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The incident, carried out through fraudulent SWIFT messages, caused global shock and remains one of the largest cyber financial crimes in history.