The Project Implementation Officer (PIO) of Shahjadpur upazila in Sirajganj was arrested in Pabna on Sunday night in a corruption case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Abul Kalam Azad was picked up from the Gopalpur area of the district town by a joint team of the ACC and police. Hailing from Hasampur village under Sujanagar upazila of Pabna, he currently lives with his family in the Shalgaria area of the town.

Confirming the arrest, ACC Pabna Integrated District Office Assistant Director Sadhan Chandra Sutradhar said multiple cases had been filed against Azad over allegations of embezzlement of development project funds, fabrication of fake muster rolls, and misuse of government money during his service in Shahjadpur. He had been on the run.

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According to the ACC sources, after a long investigation, evidence of corruption was found against the PIO, leading to the issuance of a warrant for his arrest.

According to the case statements, in 2023, preliminary investigations found allegations of illegal wealth accumulation against him. In May 2024, the ACC issued a notice asking him to submit his wealth statement.

He submitted the statement in July 2024, but investigators later found that he had concealed information on assets worth Tk 9.42 lakh. The inquiry also detected unexplained wealth worth Tk 1.32 crore, inconsistent with his known sources of income.

Following the findings, the ACC filed four separate cases against him – three in March 2025 and another in October 2025.

ACC officials said Azad was arrested based on a tip-off while he was on the run.