Dhaka: The Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has apprehended a man accused of deceiving individuals by impersonating a high-ranking official in the Bangladesh Army, police, and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), offering them jobs in return for money. The arrested individual has been identified as Md Nurul Chowdhury, aged 40.
According to United News of Bangladesh, a specialized DB team from the Ramna Division executed a raid on a residence in the Sunday Society Residential Area on Bhuiyanbari Bashtala Road in Uttara at approximately 3:40 am on Tuesday, leading to his arrest. DMP Additional Commissioner (DB) Md Shafiqul Islam shared this information during a press briefing held at the DMP Media Centre later in the afternoon. He stated that the DB had obtained intelligence on the fraudulent activities of this gang.
In the course of the arrest, authorities confiscated two walkie-talkie sets, two chargers, a counterfeit passport, a fake ID card representing him as an Army major, another fake ID card depicting him as a RAB deputy director of colonel rank, three mobile phones, and 10 different types of Army uniforms. Also recovered were Army medical books, various forms and pads, passport-size photographs of him in uniforms as an Army major and police superintendent, fake Army recruitment notices, and job application forms.
During initial questioning, Nurul reportedly confessed to orchestrating these fraudulent schemes systematically over a significant period, with assistance from his associates. He allegedly assumed different identities, such as ‘Major Al Mamun’, ‘Colonel Nazim’, and ‘Major Tanvir’, enticing individuals with job offers in the Bangladesh Army for positions like soldiers, cooks, peons, and chefs. The primary targets of these scams were unemployed youths, rickshaw pullers, workers, day laborers, and other low-income individuals.
The gang is said to have employed fake recruitment notices, application forms, identity cards, Army uniforms, and photographs in uniforms from various law enforcement agencies to establish credibility with their victims. Information has also surfaced indicating that the suspect occasionally posed as a Special Branch (SB) or DB member and, at other times, assumed the identity of ‘SP Tarikur Rahman’ to carry out fraudulent acts. Additionally, he is accused of extorting money by blackmailing people and threatening to embroil them in false cases using law enforcement identities.
A fraud-related case has been filed against Nurul at Shah Ali Police Station, and legal proceedings are in progress. Concurrently, efforts are being made to identify other individuals involved in the fraudulent activities, as confirmed by Shafiqul.