A Khulna court has sent a technologist of Khulna General Hospital to jail in a Tk 2.57-crore graft relating to Covid-19 tests.

Khulna Metropolitan Sessions Judge Shahidul Islam on Sunday issued the order turning down the bail petition of technologist Prakash Kumar Das, 45, said advocate Khandaker Mojibur Rahman of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

On November 18, Khandaker Kamruzzaman, deputy assistant director of ACC’s Khulna district office, filed the case.

Read:ACC sues Khulna General Hospital staff for embezzling Tk 2.5 crore

Prakash recently came to Khulna to join his job here with a 15-day bail from the High Court in the graft case.

According to the case statement, Prakash was in charge of collecting the fees for Covid-19 tests from people going abroad.

The case statement reveals that Prakash collected a total of Tk 4.24 crore from July, 2020 to July, 2021 from people and deposited only Tk 1.66 crore to the government treasury, and embezzled the rest of the money, Tk 2.57 crore.

Later, a five-member inquiry committee, headed by Khulna General Hospital Civil Surgeon and Supervisor Dr Niaz Mohammad, was formed to investigate the allegations.

Read: Khulna Hospital technologist decamps with Tk 2.5 crore Covid test fees

According to the probe report, the amount deposited was over Tk 2.57 crore, less than the amount he received.

Later, on September 22, an explanation was sought from Prakash and he promised to provide it the following day but he has been missing since then.

Immediately after this, a general diary (GD) was filed by the Khulna Civil Surgeon's Office with Khulna Police Station on September 28.