Ctg city employee applies for medical leave while in jail

A Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) employee who is currently in jail in connection with a vandalism case has submitted a one-month medical leave application in an alleged attempt to conceal his arrest, CCC officials confirmed.

The accused, Rabiul Alam, is a tax collector under Revenue Circle-4 of the CCC, officials from the city corporation's human resource department said.

He was arrested on April 28 in connection with a case related to the July uprising and sent to jail by a court the following day, sources at Bandar Police Station in the port city.

The issue came to light after CCC authorities grew suspicious of a leave application submitted on Rabiul's behalf, in which he requested one month of unpaid medical leave.

In the application, Rabiul stated: "After returning home from work on April 28, I suddenly fell ill and consulted a doctor. The doctor advised complete rest due to physical weakness. On humanitarian grounds, I am applying for one month's unpaid leave from April 29 to May 28."

The leave request, submitted by another individual, was recommended by relevant officials and forwarded to the CCC Secretariat after being signed by the chief revenue officer on May 24.

However, the request for unpaid leave raised suspicions, prompting an internal investigation.

During the inquiry, CCC authorities discovered that Rabiul had been arrested by police from the Bandar Police Station late on April 28. He was produced before the Chattogram court the following day, which ordered that he be sent to jail.

Chattogram Central Jail sources confirmed that Rabiul, listed as prisoner number 8674/25, remains in custody.

Speaking to The Daily Star, CCC Secretary Ashraful Amin said, "During an investigation, we found that Rabiul submitted a leave application from jail. A full report is expected within a couple of days."

CCC Chief Executive Officer Sheikh Md Touhidul Islam said, "If the arrest and concealment of information are proven, departmental action will be taken against him."