Regent's Shahed sent to jail in cheque dishonour case

A court in Dhaka on Monday sent Regent Hospital Chairman Md Shahed alias Shahed Karim to jail in a case lodged over the dishonour of a Taka 2.16 crore cheque of Dhaka Mercantile Co-operative Bank Ltd.

Judge Sadik Ahammed of Dhaka Joint Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court-5 passed the order after holding a hearing on the matter.

Shahed was detained this afternoon from the ECB Chattar area in the capital on an outstanding arrest warrant in the case filed with Pallabi Police Station.

According to the case documents, Shahed obtained a loan of Taka 2.16 crore from Dhaka Mercantile Co-operative Bank Ltd in 2015 for business purposes. As security against the loan, he deposited a cheque worth Taka 2.16 crore with the bank.

Later, as he failed to repay the loan, the bank presented the cheque for encashment, but it was dishonoured. 

Following the incident, the bank filed a case under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka. The case was subsequently transferred to the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court for trial.

The Dhaka Joint Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court-5 delivered its verdict on May 4, 2025 following the trial.

The court sentenced Shahed to one year's imprisonment and fined him Taka 2.16 crore. As he remained absconding at the time the verdict was pronounced, the court issued a conviction warrant along with a warrant for his arrest.