7 foreigners, 2 locals detained in capital for fraud

January 12, 2022

পিবিসি নিউজঃ Six Nigerians and a South African along with two Bangladeshis have been arrested by Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) for allegedly cheating people into paying them money in exchange of expensive gifts.

The arrested were identified as Udeze Obinna Ruben, 42, Ntombikhona Gebuza, 36, Ifunanya Vivian Nnawuik, 31, Sunday Shederack Ejim, 32, Chinedu Moses Nnaji, 36, Collims Ifesinachi Talike, 30, Chidimma Ebele Eylofor, 26, Nahidul Islam, 30 and Sonia Akter, 33.

They were arrested from Pallabi, Rupnagar and Dakkhin Khan areas of the city conducting drives from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning, said RAB-4 Commanding Officer (CO) DIG Mozammel Huque while addressing a press conference at the RAB Media Centre in Dhaka on Wednesday.

Besides, he said the RAB-4 personnel seized eight passports, 31 mobile phones, three laptops, one cheque book, three pen drives, Tk 95,815 in cash from their possession.

Mozammel Huque said arrested Udeze Obinna Ruben is the mastermind of the fraudulent gang. The foreigners came to Bangladesh on tourist visas two to three years ago. Staying at rented flats, they started doing ready-made garment businesses. In guise of the garment business, they started fraudulent practices in connivance with their local partners. The duration of the visas of most of the foreigners has already expired.

The RAB-4 CO said arrested Sonia Akter and Nahidul Islam are the local accomplices of the arrested “international gang of frauds.” Posing as Customs officers, Sonia Akter and Nahidul Islam have been establishing contacts and friendships with their targetted clients. Then the foreigners have been cheating clients through their local accomplices.

Mozammel Huque said Sonia got acquainted with Udeze Obinna Ruben at the end of 2018 on social media. Sonia got involved in cheating people following her acquaintance with Ruben. She used to receive 25 per cent of the money from Ruben for extending cooperation to Ruben. Sonia has a four-storeyed house in her name at Dakkhin Khan and a private car. Sonia and Nahidul used to meet Nigerian Ruben two to three times in a month at Jasimuddin area in Uttara.

“Sonia Akter has confessed that she had cheated as many as 34 persons so far,” the RAB-4 CO said quoting Sonia. “Besides, the gang has so far taken more than Tk 2 crore from their victims.”