17 arrested for alleged fraud using mobile apps

Police arrested 17 suspected operatives, including four women, of a fraud gang involved with realising money from people through several mobile phone applications from different areas of Dhaka, Gazipur and Narayanganj, reports news agency UNB.

The arrestees are Mohiuddin Mahri, 31, Bani Saad Monihaj, 23, Sana Miah, 35, Latin, 43, Mehedhi Hasan, 23, Hasan Imam Proncy, 33, Belayet Hossain, 28, Maruf Ahmed, 27, Sabbir Hossain Loyin, 26, Shahabul Islam Nishu, 22, Faizul Islam, 24, Sohan Khan, 21, Abdul Wadud, 25, Iti Akter, 20, Sriti Shah Soumik, 21, Ayesha, 21 and Rubaya, 20.

Police in association with Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) arrested the 17 people from Dhaka and two other districts, said a media release signed by Rafiqul Alam, additional deputy commissioner (media) of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP).

Initially the members of the fraud gang asked people to install a mobile phone application ‘Rapid Cash’ for taking a loan of Tk 30,000 and sent some money to the mobile phone user in cash, it said.

Later, the app users were asked to refund the money with a huge amount of interest, otherwise their naked pictures will be shared on social media including Facebook as they provided their pictures and relevant information from the NID card , it reads.

After being deceived by the gang, one Abul Ahsan lodged a case with the RMP’s Boalia police station in this regard on 14 May.

Later, the police and the ATU arrested them from different areas of the country and recovered 11 laptops, 10 mobile phone sets, five flash drives and cash.

The suspects landed in jail following an order by a Rajshahi court on Thursday, the press release added.