Prashantha Kumar Halder (PK Halder) is a Bangladeshi-Canadian banker. He was a Bangladeshi businessman who controlled several financial companies. He abused his power and embezzled more than Tk 10,000 crore with the help of his associates and relatives. After hiding in India for two years, he was finally arrested on May 14, 2022.
Wiki/Biography
PK Halder was born in Matibhanga Union, Nazirpur, Bangladesh, in the mid-1990s. As a child, his relatives used to call him Moru. He received his early education at Government Primary School, Dighirjan. Thereafter, he went to Dighirjan High School to study SCC. His grades have always been among the best in his class. Thereafter, he studied and graduated from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. Thereafter, he went to Dhaka University School of Business Administration to pursue an MBA degree.
appearance
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
He is the son of Pralabh Chandra Halder and Lilabati Halder. His father was a tailor and his mother was a school teacher in Madibhanga Union, Nazirpur. He has two brothers, Pijush Halder and Pranesh Halder, both businessmen and now living in India.
Relationships/Affairs
PK Halder has two girlfriends in Bangladesh, namely Avantika Baral and Nahida Runai. PK Halder’s colleague Ujjwal Kumar issued a statement to Dhaka City District Magistrate Atiqul Islam and mentioned two of PK Halder’s girlfriends. He said,
PK Halder’s two girlfriends, Avantika Baral and Nahida Runai. He has traveled to Singapore and Thailand 20 to 25 times respectively. There was a fierce competition between the two men to acquire PK Halder’s company. “
Apart from traveling abroad with his two girlfriends, he often spent time with them in various clubs in Dhaka.
PK Halder’s girlfriend Nahida Runai
Ujjwal Kumar Nandi also said that he and all other colleagues of PK Halder used to refer to Avantika as “Little Appa” and Runai as “Big Appa”. After interrogating Ujjwal, the ACC investigation team said,
PK Haldar’s relationship with Runai and Avantika is like a couple. And the relationship between Runai and Avantika is like the relationship between Sardin. The two also compete fiercely in overseas travel. Once, PK and Avantika secretly traveled to Singapore. When Runay learned of the incident, several people said PK had been physically abused. In addition to this, Runay also attacked PK many times because of his close relationship with Avantika.
Abantika Baral arrested by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in 2021
money laundering case
After completing his formal education, Halder spent the first few years of his career working in executive positions in various organizations. In 2008, PK Halder became Deputy Managing Director of Industrial and Infrastructure Development Finance Limited. A year later, he was appointed as Managing Director of Reliance Finance Ltd. On July 3, 2014, he founded his own company, P&L Hal Holding, in Canada. In July 2015, he became Managing Director of NRB Global Bank, which was later renamed Global Islamic Bank. He is also the owner of HAL International, one of the directors of which Swapan Kumar Mistri also serves as a director of International Leasing and Financial Services Limited. Swapan Kumar Mistri’s wife is the chairman of Mutual Trust Bank (MTB) Ltd. Another person associated with them is Uttam Kumar Mistri, brother of Swapan Kumar Mistri. Uttam Mistri’s wife Atoshi Mridha obtained a loan of around Tk 80 crore from International Leasing and Financial Services Ltd for a fake company called Kolasin. Halder’s cousin Amitav Adhikari served as a director of People’s Leasing and Financial Services Ltd from 2015 to 2019. At the time, Halder’s former colleague Uzzal Kumar Nandi was chairman of People’s Leasing and Financial Services Ltd. The two assisted Halder in embezzling millions of taka from People’s Leasing Financial Services Ltd. After this corruption, Halder became the chairman of People’s Leasing Financial Services Co., Ltd. The investigation into Halder began in 2019, when fraud was suspected. The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFI) has conducted multiple raids on illegal casinos in Dhaka. In 2020, Bangladesh Bank revealed that Halder misappropriated a total of Tk 1,500 crore from International Leasing Financial Services Ltd. This was followed by FAS Finance & Investment Ltd with $22 billion. The third fraud was against People’s Leasing & Financial Services Ltd, from which he stole $30 billion. Another company was Reliance Finance Limited from which he stole Tk 2,500 crore. Following these findings, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFI) and the Anti-Corruption Commission launched an investigation into Halder. In March 2020, he eloped from Bangladesh to India an hour before the travel ban was imposed. He came to Canada from India because he is a Canadian citizen. In December 2020, all the properties of PK Halder were seized by the Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission. Halder, who also owns Northern Jute Manufacturing Company Ltd., Rahman Chemicals, Aziz Fiber Jute Control and Simtex Industries, was joined by his cousin Amitabh Adhikari, who quit his job with the Bangladesh Civil Service. In January 2021, NI Khan, who was associated with him, was banned from leaving the country by Bangladesh.
Three associates of PK Halder arrested in 2021
However, the order was later quashed on appeal. In the same year, 14 people related to Halder were summoned to its office by the Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate Halder’s money laundering case. On April 5, 2021, Abdul Alim, the owner of Clewiston Foods and Accommodation, sued Halder over the loan to build Radisson Blue Hotel in Cox’s Bazar. According to Alim, Halder requested a majority stake in his company in 2014 to approve the business loan. Another close associate of Halder is Pritish Kumar Sarker, who served as managing director of FAS Finance and Investment Ltd.; Bangladesh Bank prevented him from leaving Bangladesh. The court ordered Halder to return to Bangladesh, but he also violated this legal order. In November 2021, the Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission filed charges against Halder, Pritish Kumar Halder and other persons involved.
arrested
PK Halder hides from everyone and stays in India secretly. In May 2022, PK Halder was arrested by Indian officials in Ashok Nagar, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India. He lied about his identity under the name of Shibshankar Halder and stayed in India.
PK Halder arrested in India in May 2022
Facts/Trivia
- As a child, he was physically attacked over school finances.
- At the time of his arrest, he held passports from several countries including India, Bangladesh and Grenada.
- Based on a report from the Enforcement Directorate, Interpol (Interpol) issued a red corner notice against PK Halder.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education