5 arrested for allegedly selling citizens' personal data online
One accused allegedly ran an encrypted website where customers could order mobile locations, call records and other information for money.
Five people have been arrested for allegedly selling citizens' personal information online, including mobile phone locations and call records, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said.
The arrests followed an investigation launched after media reports emerged that citizens' personal data was being sold online, RAB-2 Commander Additional DIG Naimul Hasan said at a briefing in Mohammadpur today (13 September).
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The accused are Abdus Salam Sarkar, Subrata Chandra Pal, Ismail Hossain Sohag, SM Nafi and Mehedi Hasan.
According to RAB, Salam was arrested in Naogaon, Subrata in Gazipur, Sohag in Noakhali, Nafi in Gopalganj and Mehedi in Keraniganj.
RAB said Salam created an encrypted website called "e-Seba24 Dop Top" in April to sell citizens' personal information. Customers could place orders through the website and receive various types of information in exchange for money.
Salam had worked temporarily at the Election Commission between 2018 and 2022, Naimul Hasan said.
The other four accused allegedly advertised the sale of personal information on Facebook and took orders through WhatsApp.
They allegedly used SIM cards registered under different names and mobile financial service accounts to receive payments.
The RAB commander said the group used government servers to collect citizens' information.
However, RAB is not disclosing who may have been involved in leaking information from those servers, citing the ongoing investigation and raids.
Naimul Hasan said RAB was preparing a list of people involved in the online sale of personal information and that further arrests would follow.
"They will not be able to continue this business for much longer," he said.
