A union parishad member and local BNP leader, Md Abdul Khalek, has been accused of receiving a widow’s allowance intended for Rahima Begum in Debiganj, Panchagarh, for nearly six years. Rahima, a resident of Baneshwarpara in Tepiganj Union, said she last received the allowance in July 2020 and later learned that payments were being sent to an unfamiliar Nagad number.

Social services office records show that Rahima’s allowance was sent through MIS software to 01917-367492 from 2021 to 2026. The latest payment of Tk1,961 was sent in May 2026, while about Tk40,000 was reportedly withdrawn from the account over six years. An inquiry found that the Nagad account was opened using Khalek’s national identity card information.

Rahima alleged that Khalek’s brother gave her son Tk7,000 and pressured him not to pursue the matter. Khalek said he did not know how his number was linked to the benefit and claimed the SIM was lost four years ago, without filing a general diary. The upazila social services officer and UNO said action would follow an investigation if a written complaint is submitted.