SM Mizanur Rahman :
A special squad of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Thursday night detained 14 members of an international cyber crime gang from different parts of the city on charge of fraudulence using social media platforms.
Of the arrested gang members, 12 are foreign nationals and two locals. Among the foreigners, eight are Nigerian, three Cameroon and one Congo.
The elite force members also seized a good number of mobile handsets, laptops and foreign currencies from their possession.
“The 12 foreign nationals and two local people are the active members of an international cyber crime gang. Using social media like Facebook and cell phone they have been cheating people since long,” Major Maksudul Alam, Assistant Director of Legal and Media Wing of RAB, told journalists on Friday.
A good number of foreign nationals staying in Bangladesh illegally are involved in serious crimes like fraud and drug, human and arms trafficking, according to sources.
These foreign nationals in association with the locals continued to plot crimes in the country. If they are arrested, after getting bail they again continue to commit crime. The number could be as high as 20,000, says another source.
According to a recent survey conducted by the Home Ministry, over 2.6 lakh legal foreigners are working in Bangladesh in various sectors, such as RMG, NGOs and other consultancy
services, both in and out of capital Dhaka.
Many foreigners, who come to Bangladesh legally with employment and business documents, have the target of looting money from the country’s people as well as banks and financial institutions.
An intelligence agency has already informed the Home Ministry that the illegal foreigners are involved in different horrific crimes, including murder, robbery, cheating as well as arms and drug trades. Even there is also report about their connection with the militants.
Earlier a German national Piotr Szczepan Mazurek and three officials of City Bank Maksed Al alias Maksud, Rezaul Karim alias Shaheen, and Refaz Ahmed alias Roni were arrested in connection with the ATM card fraud.
The police could arrest a few of them and put them behind bars. Many of them are also involved in cross-border crimes.
Some 500 to 1000 foreigners are now in jails in Bangladesh. Many of them have completed their jail term, but nobody is coming to take them back to their homes.
The embassies of their countries do not respond to Bangladesh’s request to take them back. Most of the convicted foreigners are from African countries.
However the home and foreign ministries do not have record about how many illegal foreigners are staying in the country.
In the wake recent crimes by the foreign nationals, the Home Ministry asked all the 64 districts’ superintendents of police and all metropolitan commissioners to prepare a list of the illegal foreigners.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said foreigners dwelling in Bangladesh are now under the scanner in light of the exposure of a German citizen being involved in the recent ATM scam.
He said there are many foreign citizens involved in activities such as non-government organisations, garments, businesses and others.
Efforts are underway to make sure that strict cross-checking is done at all immigration counters to prevent the entry of foreigners with any forged passport or false visa.
A special squad of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Thursday night detained 14 members of an international cyber crime gang from different parts of the city on charge of fraudulence using social media platforms.
Of the arrested gang members, 12 are foreign nationals and two locals. Among the foreigners, eight are Nigerian, three Cameroon and one Congo.
The elite force members also seized a good number of mobile handsets, laptops and foreign currencies from their possession.
“The 12 foreign nationals and two local people are the active members of an international cyber crime gang. Using social media like Facebook and cell phone they have been cheating people since long,” Major Maksudul Alam, Assistant Director of Legal and Media Wing of RAB, told journalists on Friday.
A good number of foreign nationals staying in Bangladesh illegally are involved in serious crimes like fraud and drug, human and arms trafficking, according to sources.
These foreign nationals in association with the locals continued to plot crimes in the country. If they are arrested, after getting bail they again continue to commit crime. The number could be as high as 20,000, says another source.
According to a recent survey conducted by the Home Ministry, over 2.6 lakh legal foreigners are working in Bangladesh in various sectors, such as RMG, NGOs and other consultancy
services, both in and out of capital Dhaka.
Many foreigners, who come to Bangladesh legally with employment and business documents, have the target of looting money from the country’s people as well as banks and financial institutions.
An intelligence agency has already informed the Home Ministry that the illegal foreigners are involved in different horrific crimes, including murder, robbery, cheating as well as arms and drug trades. Even there is also report about their connection with the militants.
Earlier a German national Piotr Szczepan Mazurek and three officials of City Bank Maksed Al alias Maksud, Rezaul Karim alias Shaheen, and Refaz Ahmed alias Roni were arrested in connection with the ATM card fraud.
The police could arrest a few of them and put them behind bars. Many of them are also involved in cross-border crimes.
Some 500 to 1000 foreigners are now in jails in Bangladesh. Many of them have completed their jail term, but nobody is coming to take them back to their homes.
The embassies of their countries do not respond to Bangladesh’s request to take them back. Most of the convicted foreigners are from African countries.
However the home and foreign ministries do not have record about how many illegal foreigners are staying in the country.
In the wake recent crimes by the foreign nationals, the Home Ministry asked all the 64 districts’ superintendents of police and all metropolitan commissioners to prepare a list of the illegal foreigners.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said foreigners dwelling in Bangladesh are now under the scanner in light of the exposure of a German citizen being involved in the recent ATM scam.
He said there are many foreign citizens involved in activities such as non-government organisations, garments, businesses and others.
Efforts are underway to make sure that strict cross-checking is done at all immigration counters to prevent the entry of foreigners with any forged passport or false visa.
