MLM scam, in guise of an NGO
Three years back, Mirza Abdul Quader founded "Global Human Rights and Environment Development Society", an NGO that was supposed to work on human-rights and climate-change issues. However, in the guise of that, he and his cohorts embezzled several millions from hundreds of clients, by turning it into an MLM (multi-level marketing) business.
Rab yesterday arrested 11 people, including Quader, 44, from the organisation's office at the capital's Badda, Rab-1 Commanding Officer Lt Col Abdullah Al Momen told reporters at Rab media-centre in Karwan Bazar.
Though he could not provide the exact embezzled amount, he mentioned that the arrestees targeted people from lower- to middle-income backgrounds and lured them with job offers with salaries ranging from Tk 10,000 to Tk 1,25,000 per month.
They used to take Tk 20,000 to Tk 30,000 per person as "donation". Several hundred people who were cheated in the scam started filing complaints, and then Rab started its investigation.
In this course, they raided the fake NGO's office and arrested the 11.
Apart from Quader, the other arrestees are -- Mirza Nasir Uddin, 25; Mahfuzur Rahman, 50; AR Abdul Momen, 49; Mehdi Hasan, 25; Amjad Hossain, 34; Monjurul Hasan Khan, 35; Abdul Barik, 38; Ruhul Amin, 25; Munni, 30; and Nilufa Islam Nipa, 34.
Rab seized four computers, four laptops, 17 mobile phones, Tk 97,380 in cash and several cheque books, vouchers, contracts, pads and seals of various banks from their office.
Momen said Quader founded the organisation in 2020. Later, he expanded his business using the "MLM" model.
They told the targets that after paying Tk 30,000 to become a donor member, their entry-level salary would be Tk 10,000. The victims were assigned the job to find cases of child marriage and sand extraction from rivers in their areas and report the incidents to the organisation.
After becoming a donor member by paying Tk 30,000, they were instructed to bring new members. The condition was that if they failed to do so, they would not be paid.
The organisation made sure that this condition would not be disclosed to their targets before they made their donation to the organisation. That was the trick they played to cheat and embezzle money from their targets, said Momen.
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