Locals in Jashore detained a Chinese national and his associate on Wednesday for their alleged involvement in embezzling Tk7 lakh by hacking an Islami Bank account.
The incident occurred at Mithu Hardware Store in the city’s RN Road area. The detainees were identified as Chan Shin (also known as Chao Shin), a Chinese national, and Ibrahim Hossain, son of Afzal Hossain from the Shankarpur area of Jashore city.
They are currently in the custody of Kotwali police.
Mithu Majumdar, the owner of Mithu Hardware Store, claimed that Ibrahim and several others had been purchasing goods from his shop for a significant period, identifying themselves as employees of the Jashore IT Park.
On Monday, the group, including the Chinese national, visited the shop and purchased products worth Tk46,000. They subsequently transferred Tk7 lakh to Mithu’s bank account through a mobile banking application.
The suspects informed the shop owner that they required a bank cheque in exchange for the balance amount remaining after the price of the goods was deducted.
Having verified the deposit in his account and being acquainted with the suspects, Mithu provided them with a cheque. The fraudsters then used the cheque to withdraw the money from the bank and fled.
Shortly thereafter, Islami Bank authorities summoned Mithu to the bank. He was informed that the Tk7 lakh transferred to his account had been stolen from a customer’s account at the bank’s Tongi branch in Dhaka via hacking.
Following this discovery, Mithu filed a General Diary (GD) with the Kotwali Police Station.
Mithu Majumdar noted that the responsibility for the fraudulent transaction ultimately fell upon him. On Wednesday afternoon, he spotted the Chinese national and Ibrahim at another shop in the RN Road area.
With the assistance of locals, he detained the pair and handed them over to the police.
Kazi Babul, Inspector (Investigation) of Jashore Kotwali Model Police Station, confirmed that the two suspects are in police custody.
While the Chinese national’s name has been tentatively identified, his full details are yet to be established. A special police team is currently investigating the matter to identify other accomplices and determine how the bank account was hacked and the funds transferred.
