Bangladesh housing-fraud cases involve nearly 40,000 buyers

Nearly 40,000 buyers in Bangladesh were involved in 9,823 pending cases alleging fraud in land-share housing projects as of Sept. 30, The Business Standard reported Oct. 25, citing Supreme Court and court sources.

The projects promise buyers a share of land and an apartment. Complainants alleged that developers sold identical shares to multiple customers, marketed unauthorized projects, or failed to register ownership. These allegations remain subject to legal proceedings.

Dhaka metropolitan and district courts accounted for 5,948 pending cases. The newspaper examined 20 alleged fraud cases in Dhaka and found that 16 involved businesses outside the Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB).

Md Shahinur Alam, a spokesperson for Dhaka’s development authority, said several illegal land-share projects had been closed in recent months and promised stronger action upon receiving complaints.