9 including 4 Nigerians held for ‘fraud, human trafficking’

Detective Branch of police arrested nine people including four Nigerians in connection with fraud and human trafficking from the capital yesterday.

Among the arrestees, Jhon Agodi UGO, Liza Akther alias Eshta, Afeez, Mohammad Mohsin Sheikh, Tasmia Parveen alias Shimu, Mikel Eugene Obumneme and Namdi Kelvin, were held on charge of fraud, according to a press release of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Jamal Hossain and Mohammad Mojibur Rahman were arrested for their alleged link with trafficking, according to the press release.

All the nine were picked up from various areas of Dhaka in separate drives yesterday.

How the fraud unfolds?

“The fraud ring sometimes through emails or sometimes through love affairs scam people into sending money. Posing as foreigners, they send emails to people in Bangladesh expressing desire to invest in the country as they have a lot of money,” Abdul Baten, joint commissioner of Detective Branch of police, said at a press briefing at DMP media center.

“When someone responds to their emails on investment, they send various supportive documents and build up relationship with the victims and ask them to send money to process their investment which can be up to Tk 2 to Tk 5 lakhs,” Baten added.

The money is routed to Bangladeshi accounts run by some people of the scam ring, he said.

Arrestee Liza Akther alias Eshta alone did transactions worth Tk 1.5 crore last month. The money is sent out of the country via ‘hundi’ or through other mediums, Baten said.