The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has filed a money laundering case involving nearly 35 crore taka against online travel company Flight Expert, accusing it of defrauding hundreds of customers and travel sub-agents by taking advance payments for airline tickets that were never issued.

The case was lodged with Motijheel Police Station under the Money Laundering Prevention Act against seven people, including Flight Expert Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Salman Bin Rashid Shah Sayem.

According to the CID, Flight Expert lured customers and sub-agents by offering unusually steep discounts on airline tickets, collecting large advance payments through both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) channels. Investigators alleged that in many cases, the company failed to provide the promised tickets despite receiving full payment.

The CID said Sayem left Bangladesh on August 1, 2025. After his departure, investigators alleged, several company directors and the firm's head of finance continued withdrawing and transferring large sums from the company's bank accounts.

The investigation found that funds deposited into Flight Expert's accounts were routed through multiple bank accounts before being transferred, withdrawn and converted through a series of transactions designed to conceal their origin, ownership and movement.

The agency also alleged that although Flight Expert sourced tickets through IATA-approved travel agencies, many customers who paid the full fare never received their tickets. In some instances, investigators said, the company collected payments from multiple parties for the same ticket.

A preliminary CID investigation found that 34.69 crore taka was fraudulently misappropriated and subsequently laundered through layered banking transactions.

The CID said the investigation is ongoing.