Staff Reporter :
In the first look, Sadia Akhter is a smart young woman of mid-twenties. But to police she is a highly-skilled criminal. She took away cash, ornaments and valuables from many people in various pretexts.
She has so many names, sometimes she is Tania, sometimes Nadi. Hailed from Begumganj upazila in Noakhali district, the woman at first lived at Fatullah area in Naraynganj where she entangled herself with different fraudulence activities. But finally she was caught from a Uttara house.
“I’m close friend of your son… I live with him in London. I’ve an invitation to attend a marriage ceremony. I’ve some dollars, but I need some cash [Bangladeshi taka]. Would you please give me some taka in exchange of the dollars?” she requested an elderly couple, living at Uttara, whose son is now staying in London.
Sadia then gave a close look inside the house when the parents went to bring money. After some days, the woman again went to the same house with a saree for the elderly female. “My husband wants to see you. Please wear the saree and come with me,” she said.
When the elderly woman went to change the dress, Sadia stole all the gold ornaments and cash from the house, and vanished quickly.
It was not a single story! There are dozens of incidents where Sadia looted everything abusing people’s sentiment.
In almost every case, she introduced herself as a distant relative of the victim. Especially, the people whose sons or daughters live in foreign countries were her favourite targets. Here she used tricks and entered their houses riding a car with dollars. Then she introduced herself as friend of their sons or daughters.
In the last three months, police received several allegations that a young woman was stealing cash and other valuables entering houses of affluent people in the city’s Uttara residential area.
Affected people also lodged complaints with different police stations at Uttara [east and west] and its surrounding areas in this connection. After getting allegations, police started an extensive search operation to track down the woman.
As per information divulged by her, police recovered 106 bhoris of gold, Tk 20, 52, 990 Pakistani Rupees 5,000, US$ 4510 and currencies of several other countries from house: 18, road: 11, sector: 12 at Uttara in an overnight raid since Wednesday morning.
Police also recovered 25 mobile phone sets, several male moneybags, female purses, SIM and memory cards during the search at the first floor flat of the building, which was rented by the frauds.
“We’ve arrested her based on specific information over theft and fraudulence. She was allegedly engaged in theft at several Uttara houses,” Abdullahil Kafi, Assistant Commissioner [Airport Zone], Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said on Wednesday.
The AC said: “We suspect that she is an active member international currency smuggling racket. The racket is also involved in various crimes, including theft and forgery, in the city.”
After nabbing, the woman went under massive interrogation of different law enforcing agencies. Later, the police started operation in different places, including Dhaka and Narayanganj. Finally, the den was busted by police at Uttara.
“The woman [Sadia] was arrested from a house at road: 3, sector: 1 on August 9. When the news of her arrest spread, several affected people filed case against her with the concerned police stations,” Ejaj Shafi, Inspector, Airport Police Station said yesterday.
