Three Arrested in Bogura Over Digital Wallet App Fraud, Alleged Ringleader Among Them

Detective Branch (DB) police in Bogura have arrested three men on allegations of embezzling money through fraud using a digital wallet app and carrying out illegal e-transactions. The gang is accused of taking money from customers by luring them with promises of profit if they deposited large sums in app accounts.

DB Officer-in-Charge Ikbal Bahar announced the arrests in a press release on Thursday (22 October) evening. Four mobile phones and five SIM cards used in the alleged crimes were seized from the suspects at the time of arrest, the release said.

The arrested men are Nazim Uddin (42), son of Monir Uddin of Rahimabad Dakshinpara in Shahjahanpur upazila; Obaydur Rahman (40), son of Dabir Uddin Pramanik of Fulkot Pashchimpara; and Nurul Islam (41), son of the late Abdul Jabbar Pramanik of Hajradighi Uttarpara in Bogura Sadar upazila. Police claim Nazim Uddin is the ringleader of the gang.

According to the case and DB police sources, the gang had for some time been collecting money from customers on online platforms by telling them to open accounts through various apps. The complaint says this was how the group first tried to win people's trust.

In the next step, customers were told they would benefit financially if they kept large amounts of money deposited in the accounts. Tempted by that promise, many deposited more money. Police allege the money collected in this way was being used in illegal electronic transactions.

Acting on a tip-off, DB police carried out a special raid beside a road in the Colony area of Bogura city early on Thursday. Nazim Uddin, Obaydur Rahman and Nurul Islam were arrested during that raid.

DB police said multiple apps and Gmail IDs were found on the mobile phones used by the arrested men. Investigators believe the gang used these digital tools to keep collecting and moving money online.

The four seized mobile phones and five SIM cards are now key evidence in the investigation. Police's initial findings suggest the gang used multiple SIMs and app-based accounts as a technique to conceal the source of the transactions.

OC Ikbal Bahar said the arrested men are accused of having long used electronic devices to move money through illegal e-transactions on various online platforms. The raid and arrests were carried out on the basis of those allegations.

A case has been filed against the arrested men at Bogura Sadar police station under the Cyber Security Act. After the case was filed, they were sent to Bogura district jail through the court.

With fraud cases built on promises of profit on digital platforms surfacing repeatedly, those concerned see the arrests as a warning for ordinary users as well. Law enforcement agencies have repeatedly advised people not to hand over money without verification, even when an unfamiliar app promises returns for large deposits.

Investigators are now expected to analyse the transaction data from the seized phones and SIMs to establish whether anyone else was involved with the gang and how much money was taken in total through the scheme.