Woman scammed out of gold, cash

A woman in Dhaka was scammed out of Tk 6,100 and 25 bhori of gold after falling prey to a Facebook post offering a so-called spiritual cure for infertility.

She responded to a post in a group called "Doa Kobuler Aloukik Golpo" (Miraculous Stories of Prayers Fulfilled), where a woman claimed to solve personal problems through divine rituals.

She first sent Tk 6,100 via a mobile transfer app and later couriered used clothes, shampoo, soap, oil and gold jewellery, allegedly for a "spiritual cleansing" ritual that would help her conceive. After receiving the items, the woman blocked her from social media.

Police have since arrested three members of an online fraud syndicate -- Md Asifur Rahman, 20, Md Al Amin, 25, and Anamika, 24 -- in separate drives in Savar and Mohammadpur early Friday.

During the raids, law enforcers recovered 85 bhori of gold, 26 bhori of gold mixed with copper, Tk 3.5 lakh in cash, and several high-end mobile phones.

At a press briefing yesterday, Masud Alam, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Ramna Division, said the scam began in January when she contacted the fraudsters through Facebook Messenger.

She then filed a complaint with New Market Police after realising she had been deceived.

"Preliminary interrogation suggests the three are part of a larger syndicate targeting vulnerable individuals with fake spiritual solutions," said the DC, adding that efforts are underway to identify and arrest other gang members and recover more assets.