Staff Reporter :
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police has arrested four Nigerian and Ghanaian nationals on charges of committing fraud and embezzling money through Facebook.
They arrestees are – Sesame, Moro Mohammed, Morrison and Anthony.
They were arrested from Dakshinkhan Kaula and Bashundhara residential areas in Dhaka on Tuesday. During the operation, six laptops, several SIM cards, and six different models of mobile phones used for fraudulent activities were recovered from the accused.
CID’s Organized Crime department Special Superintendent of Police (SS-Serious Crime and Homicide Squad) Syada Jannat Ara confirmed the matter in a press briefing on Wednesday.
She said the CID was able to arrest them on the basis of a complaint lodged by a victim of their fraud. CID’s preliminary interrogation confirmed that the accused swindled crores of money from numerous victims across the country through collusion in the last few months.
The victim was offered gift boxes, supposedly containing millions of dollars’ worth of goods, from a fake ID on Facebook Messenger, and was asked to receive them from customs.
When the victim went to customs to pick up the item, an associate of the arrestees, identifying himself as the customs commissioner, pressured the victim to pay for the gift boxes in the form of tax and VAT. The victim was also threatened with legal consequences if the gift was not received, the CID official said.
SS Jannat added that although the arrested foreigners have been staying in Bangladesh for a long time, they were not able to show any valid passports or documents of their stay.
They entered the country on tourist, sports, business and student visas and started their fraudulent activities with the help of local agents.
The CID is continuing its investigation into the details of the bank account involved in the fraud. It is also working to bring arrestees’ domestic collaborators under the law, she said.
She added that a case has been filed against them in Kafrul Police Station.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police has arrested four Nigerian and Ghanaian nationals on charges of committing fraud and embezzling money through Facebook.
They arrestees are – Sesame, Moro Mohammed, Morrison and Anthony.
They were arrested from Dakshinkhan Kaula and Bashundhara residential areas in Dhaka on Tuesday. During the operation, six laptops, several SIM cards, and six different models of mobile phones used for fraudulent activities were recovered from the accused.
CID’s Organized Crime department Special Superintendent of Police (SS-Serious Crime and Homicide Squad) Syada Jannat Ara confirmed the matter in a press briefing on Wednesday.
She said the CID was able to arrest them on the basis of a complaint lodged by a victim of their fraud. CID’s preliminary interrogation confirmed that the accused swindled crores of money from numerous victims across the country through collusion in the last few months.
The victim was offered gift boxes, supposedly containing millions of dollars’ worth of goods, from a fake ID on Facebook Messenger, and was asked to receive them from customs.
When the victim went to customs to pick up the item, an associate of the arrestees, identifying himself as the customs commissioner, pressured the victim to pay for the gift boxes in the form of tax and VAT. The victim was also threatened with legal consequences if the gift was not received, the CID official said.
SS Jannat added that although the arrested foreigners have been staying in Bangladesh for a long time, they were not able to show any valid passports or documents of their stay.
They entered the country on tourist, sports, business and student visas and started their fraudulent activities with the help of local agents.
The CID is continuing its investigation into the details of the bank account involved in the fraud. It is also working to bring arrestees’ domestic collaborators under the law, she said.
She added that a case has been filed against them in Kafrul Police Station.
