Jashore: Locals on Wednesday apprehended a Chinese national and his accomplice for allegedly embezzling Tk 7 lakh after hacking an Islami Bank account in the district town. The detainees were identified as Chaoxing, a Chinese citizen, and Ibrahim, son of Afzal Hossain from Jashore’s Shankarpur area. They are currently in the custody of Kotwali Model Police Station.

According to United News of Bangladesh, the incident began at a hardware store owned by Mithu Majumder on RN Road. A group, including the Chinese national, had been frequenting his shop while posing as employees of the Jashore IT Park. On Monday, the suspects purchased goods worth Tk 46,000 and transferred Tk 7 lakh to Mithu’s bank account via a mobile app. They subsequently requested a bank cheque for the surplus amount, which they cashed before disappearing.

The fraud was uncovered when Islami Bank authorities informed Mithu that the Tk 7 lakh had been transferred into his account from a hacked customer account in Tongi, Dhaka. Mithu then filed a General Diary (GD) at the Kotwali Model Police Station.

On Wednesday afternoon, Mithu spotted Chaoxing and Ibrahim at another store on RN Road and detained them with the help of local residents. Kazi Babul, Inspector (Investigation) of Kotwali Model Police Station, stated that a special police team is currently investigating the hacking mechanism and searching for other members of the syndicate.