REHENNUMA TARANNUM:

A fraud syndicate has been misappropriated crores of Taka from rich people especially from a number of retired government or private high-ranking officers felling them into different traps even offering high salary job in multinational companies.

Sources of the Detective Branch (DB) of police said, the syndicate members target some retired high-profile officers and realize big sum of money from them after reeling into different traps. Sometime, they offer high paying jobs. Besides, there are some other options of cheating like making the victims business partner. Later, they forced them to invest big amount of money and engage in gambling.

Thus, many people have lost their last penny being victimized by the fake Royal Cheating Department (RCD).

Such a victim Syed Mahbub-e-Jamil, Former Director of Bangladesh Employees Welfare Board said, “I had been looking for a job after retirement in 2018. On January 2, a man by the name of engineer Masood offered me a job with a monthly salary at $ 4,000. Later, I was called to a house at Bashundhara residential area of ​​the capital on the following day. At one stage of the discussion, a man called as Marwari, who spoke in mixed language of Hindi and English, suddenly arrived there and introduced himself as a big businessman.”

He further said, “In the first stage, they offered me $ 4,000 as monthly salary, a car for full time use and two bonuses a year. Being impressed, I paid them Tk 6 lakh next day. Later, I also paid Tk 50 lakh more to them.”

Mohammad Ali, a former Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD) was also called by the fraud gang offering a similar job. When, he went to them, they realized Tk 64.5 lakh from him by swindling.

Mohammad Ali said, “The syndicate member first took Tk 8 lakh from me promising to make me as a shareholder. Later, they realized a total of Tk 64.5 lakh from me on various pretexts.”

Monwarul Islam, a former Commander of the NAVY was lured into a gambling table and offered a job with a monthly salary at Tk 6 lakh. Later, they took away Tk 14 lakh from him on different excuses.

Monwarul Islam said, “They called me to their office and trapped me making a fake business story. Then, they took Tk 14 lakh from me in two days saying that the current condition of their business is not well. To restore the business activities in a full swing, they need the money.”

Based on several such allegations and cases, DB police recently conducted drives one after another to find out the syndicate members. At one stage, they found RCD or Royal Cheating Department and arrested four members of the gang. During the operation, DB police also recovered cash Tk 80 lakh.

DB police said, one Shahidul Islam, who introduced himself as Engineer Masood, was the leader and mastermind of the clique.

During the interrogation of police, Masood, who was Chairman of Ghatmajhi Union Parishad in Kalkini upazila of Madaripur from 2003 to 2011 claimed that, he was cheated by such a cycle in 2001. Later, he wrote his name on this line.

Shahidul Islam, another leader of the fraudsters informed the police that, he joined in this line in 2013. Before coming in fraudulent profession, he lost jobs three times. Finding no way, he came to this line with a view to make money overnight.

The real name of the man, who emerged as a Marwari trader is Azad. He also claimed that, he was deceived by such a fraud gang and later he own came down in this line.

Azad said, “I lost Tk 40 lakh by a fraud ring about three years ago. In the first stage, I could not understand the tactics. But a few days, I understand the line.”

Police said, the members of the clique often used to hold meetings at five-star hotels in the capital. Four people were involved in the fraudulent gang. Retired government and non-government officials were their target. They preliminarily offer high-paying jobs in multinational companies and then business. Finally, they cheat with them sitting in the table of three card games.

Mashiur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner of DMP’s Detective Branch in Gulshan Division said, “Those, who are the victims, are not poor or people of streets. These are experienced and educated people. The fraudulent cycle usually uses a rental house for one or two months. As a result, police cannot trace them easily.”

Quoting the arrested statement, police also said, there are many such small and big shape gangs all over the country like viruses. They are now under scanner.