The Bangladesh Bank yesterday ordered commercial banks not to allow cash withdrawal of more than Tk 2 lakh per customer this week because of a lack of security, a senior official of the central bank said.

It also instructed the banks to monitor cheque transactions and block any suspicious transfer of funds.

"Due to security problems of transporting cash to the bank branches, please do not allow withdrawals of cash more than 2 lakh in the upcoming week," the Bangladesh Bank said in a letter to the banks.

The directive comes as the law and order situation remains unpredictable since police have not resumed work following deadly attacks and clashes during the uprising that led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina on August 5.

The BB asked the banks, if possible, to stop disbursing cash among branches amid the weak security.