Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has filed a criminal case alleging the embezzlement of Tk 568 crore from the Market Development Fund (MDF) under the International Gateway Operators Forum (IOF). The case, lodged at Gulshan Police Station in 2025, names 27 accused, including members of the IOF executive committee and relatives of Salman F Rahman. Twelve of the accused have surrendered and secured bail, but the key decision-makers behind the alleged irregularities remain beyond legal reach.

The IOF syndicate, formed around international gateway operators, is accused of manipulating international call termination rates and diverting government revenue over nearly a decade. Experts claim that under the guise of a test network topology, the state exchequer lost around Tk 8,000 crore. They have called for a full techno-commercial and forensic audit of the IOS structure, rate-setting mechanisms, and MDF expenditures to uncover the true extent of losses.

BTRC has also decided to cancel operational approvals between IOF and IGW operators and announced plans to strengthen monitoring, bank guarantees, and regulatory controls in international call management.