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Dhaka, Tuesday   24 December 2024

Published: 19:53, 17 August 2023

Hollywood documentary on BB reserve theft released 

A documentary titled ‘Billion Dollar Heist,’ produced by the renowned American studio Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, focusing on the Bangladesh Bank reserve theft, was released on various OTT platforms on August 15.

The documentary features notable personalities such as Misha Glenny, Mikko Hyppönen, Krishna Das, Rakesh Astana, and Rafal Rohozinski, among others.

According to the Universal Pictures Home Entertainment website, the documentary has been released on OTT platforms including Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV, among others.

The documentary's plot revolves around the infamous 2016 theft at Bangladesh Bank, which sent shockwaves through the global banking system, not only affecting Bangladesh Bank.

Director Gordon portrays how a group of cybersecurity hackers managed to steal $81 million from Bangladesh Bank. Additionally, the documentary highlights how a small typing error (typo) on a keyboard led them to miss out on a significant amount of money.

‘Billion Dollar Heist’ also illustrates how hackers exploited the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT) system—a messaging network used by banks worldwide—to facilitate the transfer of money between banks.

On February 4, 2016, $101 million was stolen from Bangladesh Bank through computer hacking. The stolen money was held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and was then transferred to the Philippines.

Bangladesh Bank Director Zubair Bin Huda filed the case at Motijheel police station on March 15, 2016. To date, Bangladesh has recovered $15 million from RCBC and $20 million from a bank in Sri Lanka.

On February 1, 2023, Bangladesh Bank filed another case in the United States against RCBC to recover the remaining $66 million.

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