A record Tk15.91 crore was found in the donation boxes of the historic Pagla Mosque in Kishoreganj, setting a new record for the highest amount collected in a single count.
A total of Tk15 crore 90 lakh 80 thousand and 146 was counted after the donation boxes were opened and the counting process concluded at around 8:45pm on Saturday.
Additional District Magistrate Mohammad Ershadul Ahmed, convener of the committee responsible for opening the donation boxes, confirmed the amount.
Previously, authorities recovered Tk11 crore 78 lakh 48 thousand and 538 from the donation boxes on December 27 last year after an interval of three months and 27 days. Foreign currencies, gold and silver were also found on that occasion.
The donation boxes were opened at around 7:00am on Saturday. Although they are usually opened every four months, this time they were opened after six months.
The boxes were opened under the supervision of Mohammad Ershadul Ahmed. Kishoreganj Deputy Commissioner and President of the Pagla Mosque Management Committee Shohana Nasrin and Additional Superintendent of Police Najmus Sakib were present during the process.
After being taken out of the donation boxes, the money was packed into sacks and moved to the second floor of the mosque, where it was spread out on the floor for counting.
The counting was carried out by 110 students of the madrasa adjacent to the mosque, 300 students of Al-Jamiatul Imdadia Madrasa, 33 mosque employees, 130 officials and staff members of Rupali Bank, and members of the law enforcement agencies.
Deputy Commissioner Shohana Nasrin said the Pagla Mosque fund currently stands at Tk114 crore 13 lakh 7 thousand and 352.
She said the mosque has launched its own website for donors at home and abroad, allowing people from anywhere in the world to send donations online and through mobile financial services.
She also said the Bangla version of the website has been launched. So far, Tk24 lakh 76 thousand and 882 has been donated through the online platform, reflecting the growing popularity of digital donations.
Superintendent of Police Mohammad Mizanur Rahman said strict security measures were maintained throughout the process, from opening the donation boxes and counting the money to transporting it to the bank.
According to the mosque authorities, a Hifzia madrasa was established beside the mosque in 2002 using funds from the donations. The institution currently provides education to 130 orphaned children, whose food, accommodation and clothing are fully financed by the mosque fund.
The authorities also said auditors from the Waqf Estate conduct an annual audit of the mosque's income and expenditure in September or October.
Bd-Pratidin English/ AM
