8 arrested in Dhaka including 5 Chinese nationals, 51,251 SIM cards seized

Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police has arrested eight people, including five Chinese nationals, in separate raids in the Bashundhara and Uttara West police station areas of the capital.

They were arrested as members of an organised gang accused of siphoning off money through various forms of online fraud.

A total of 51,251 SIM cards, 51 mobile phones and 21 VoIP gateway devices were seized from the arrestees.

The information was disclosed at a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre on January 13 by Hasan Mohammad Naser Rikabdar, deputy commissioner of the DB Cyber North Division.

Those arrested are Chen Ling Feng, Zeng Kong, Zeng Changqiang, Wen Jian Qiu, Huang Zheng Jiang, Md Zakaria, Niaz Masum and Kamrul Hasan, also known as Hasan Joy.

Naser said the Web-based Crime Investigation Team of the DB Cyber and Special Crime North Division detected the gang’s location in Dhaka while probing allegations of online job scams, Telegram group-based fraud and other online deceptions.

He said Niaz Masum and Kamrul Hasan, also known as Hasan Joy, were arrested on January 7 during a raid in the Bashundhara Residential Area under Bhatara police station. At that time, 14 VoIP gateway devices, 51,067 SIM cards, four mobile phones, two CPUs and one laptop were seized.

Based on further information about other active online fraud rings in the capital, another raid was conducted in Sector 9 of Uttara West police station on January 12, leading to the arrest of six people, including five Chinese nationals, he said.

During that operation, seven illegal VoIP gateway devices, 47 mobile phones, 184 SIM cards and five laptops were recovered.

A case has been filed with Uttara West police station in connection with the incident. DB officials said Niaz Masum and Kamrul Hasan, also known as Hasan Joy, have been sent to court.