CID sues Flight Expert executives in BDT 35 crore money laundering case
Dhaka: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has filed a money laundering case against online travel company Flight Expert (FEBD) and seven individuals, alleging they laundered nearly BDT 35 crore obtained through fraudulent air ticket sales.
The case was lodged with Motijheel Police Station on July 11 under Sections 4(2) and 4(4) of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012 (amended in 2015), following an investigation by the CID's Financial Crime Unit, media reports said.
Among those named in the case are Flight Expert Managing Director and CEO Salman Bin Rashid Shah Sayem, President MA Rashid Shah Samrat, directors Amir Hamza Rashid Shah Nayeem, AKM Shahadat Hossain and Abdul Gani Mehedi, Head of Finance Md. Sakib Hossain, and Proprietor of Soma International Services Motaher Hossain.
According to the CID, Flight Expert sourced airline tickets through IATA-accredited travel agencies but, in many cases, failed to deliver the tickets to customers despite receiving full payment. Investigators also found instances where payments were allegedly collected from more than one party for the same ticket.
The agency said Sayem left Bangladesh on August 1, 2025. After his departure, several company directors and its head of finance allegedly withdrew and transferred substantial sums from bank accounts linked to the company.
The investigation further revealed that money deposited into the company's accounts was subsequently transferred, withdrawn, and routed through multiple accounts in an effort to conceal the origin, ownership, and nature of the alleged proceeds of crime.
CID said Flight Expert launched its online airline ticketing business in 2016 before expanding into hotel reservations, Hajj and Umrah packages, and other travel-related services. Although the company was incorporated as FEBD in 2019, it allegedly continued operating and maintaining bank transactions under both the Flight Expert and FEBD names.
Investigators alleged that the company lured customers and sub-agents with unusually high discounts on air tickets and collected large advance payments, but frequently failed to provide the promised tickets.
Based on its preliminary findings, the CID estimates that more than Tk34.69 crore was fraudulently misappropriated. The agency alleges that the subsequent movement and conversion of the funds through the banking system amounted to money laundering.
The CID said it will continue the investigation and take further legal action as required.