ZCZC
BSS-52
FRAUDULENCE-DETAIN
12 foreigners, a fake customs officer arrested
DHAKA, July 22, 2020 (BSS) – Criminal Investigation Depart (CID) of police today arrested 12 foreign nationals and a fake customs officer from the city’s Pallabi area on the charge of taking Taka five to six crore from social media users through fraudulence.
They were identified as Nandika Clint, Cletas Achuna, Oyukulov Timti, Akin Wisdom, Chigozi, Ivunde Gabriel Obina, Celestine Patrick, Mardi Namdi, Mardi Namdu, Ordu Chukordu Sammi, Dubuokan Somayina, Jerome Presiamas and a Bangladesh fake customs officer Tahat Ara Khanam alias Farzana Mahiuddin.
Additional Deputy Inspector General of CID of Dhaka Metro Sheikh Md Rezaul Haider confirmed the news to BSS and said the arrestees used to impersonate customs officials while talking money from the victims.
He said a team of CID carried out a raid based on a complaint from a victim who lost Taka 4.25 lakh to the gang’s scam.
About the process of the scam, the CID official said a Facebook user got connected with an opposite gender person and built friendship through chats over a period of months.
At one stage, the fraud foreigner proposed to send the victim a costly gift on messenger and later sent freight documents on the messenger too. The foreigner also told the victim that the package would contain million dollar worth of items and asked him to receive the parcel from the customs office at Chattogram Airport, he said.
Then, the fake customs commissioner Rahat Ara Khanam alias Farzana — called the victim and asked him to deposit Taka 4.25 lakh in several bank accounts for customs clearance of the so-called parcel, CID officer Haider added.
The victim then deposited Taka 3.73 lakh to bank accounts specified by the gang. Later, the gang discontinued communication with the victim and then he (victim) realised that he was cheated by them and made the complaint, he said.
The additional DIG, however, said the gang made at least Taka 5-6 crore in last two months through scams.
The fraudulence gang cheated people staying in Bangladesh for a long time, although they have no legal documents to stay in the country.
The CID also filed a case with Pallabi Police Station in this connection.
The CID officer requested all owners of houses to check legal documents of foreigners before renting out their houses.
BSS/MMB/SAS/GA/1927 hrs