CID arrests 3 for swindling Tk45 lakh from retired govt official with fake job, business offers

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested three alleged members of an organised fraud ring for swindling Tk45 lakh from a retired government official by luring him with promises of a high–salary job and profits from a watch import–export business.

The arrestees are Sanaj Saha alias Ujjal Chowdhury, 56, Md Mosharraf Hossain, 64 and Md Shahjahan, 46.

Confirming the matter today (3 December), CID's Special Superintendent of Police (media) Jashim Uddin Khan said, "They were arrested yesterday from Malitola Park near Tantibazar in a raid conducted by the Cyber Police Centre."

According to CID, the victim, a former employee of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, was approached by a man named Md Abdul Rashid, who promised him a lucrative position.

The victim was offered a salary of $2,500 per month, along with various other facilities.

Alongside the job offer, the fraudsters also proposed a highly profitable watch trading business. Two other men convinced the victim to invest in supplying watches to India. In reality, the business was entirely fictitious.

The victim fell into the trap and, encouraged by promises of quick profit and verbal agreements on profit–sharing, invested money in multiple phases. The fraudsters eventually extracted Tk45 lakh, assuring him that the watches would be sold to the Indian company at high prices.

However, after receiving the money, they claimed the watches could not be supplied and even demanded an additional Tk10 lakh.

Realising he had been defrauded, the victim filed a case with the Turag Police Station on 14 September.

CID investigations later revealed that the group specifically targets retired government officials, using job offers and business schemes to deceive them.

CID also found that the arrestees have multiple previous cases.

The arrestees have been sent to court, and the Cyber Police Centre is continuing the investigation.