A total of 43 sacks of cash have been recovered from 13 donation boxes of the historic Paghla Mosque in Kishoreganj on Saturday morning, with counting of the money currently underway.
The boxes were opened at around 7am after six months, with authorities expecting the latest collection to potentially surpass previous records.
The operation was carried out under the supervision of Additional District Magistrate and convener of the donation box opening committee Mohammad Ershadul Ahmed, in the presence of Deputy Commissioner Sohana Nasrin and Additional Superintendent of Police Nazmus Sakib.
After being taken out from the donation boxes, the cash was packed into sacks and moved to the mosque’s second floor, where counting began.
Deputy Commissioner Sohana Nasrin said 43 sacks of cash had been recovered, adding that the final amount would be confirmed after completion of the counting process.
Additional Superintendent of Police Nazmus Sakib said strict security measures were maintained throughout the process, from opening the donation boxes to counting and depositing the money in banks.
A total of 110 students from a madrasa adjacent to the mosque, 300 students from Al-Jamiatul Imdadia Madrasa, 33 mosque staff, 130 officials of Rupali Bank, and members of law enforcement agencies are involved in the counting process.
Earlier, on 27 December last year, 35 sacks of cash were recovered when the donation boxes were opened after three months and 27 days.
At that time, Tk 11,78,48,038 crore was counted, along with foreign currency, gold, and silver jewellery.
Following the opening of the boxes, large crowds gathered on the mosque premises to witness the counting process.
Devotees from across the country regularly donate cash as well as livestock, including ducks, chickens, cows, and goats.
The historic mosque, located on around 10 acres of land on the banks of the Narsunda River in the Harua area of Kishoreganj, is managed by a 31-member committee headed by the deputy commissioner, with the mayor or administrator of Kishoreganj municipality serving as general secretary.
