The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police arrested two individuals on Wednesday for their alleged involvement in a fraudulent scheme promising jobs in the Bangladesh Police in exchange for large sums of money.
The arrestees have been identified as Md Shafaet Hossain Sheikh, 55, from Ratail village in Gopalganj, and Enamul Haque Akbar, 63, from Parchandra village in the Dighalia area of the same district. Shafaet Hossain has identified himself as a retired Sergeant of the Bangladesh Army.
In a press release issued on Wednesday, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said a team from its Dhaka Metro-West Division conducted a raid in the Rajarbagh area on the same day to apprehend the suspects.
The operation was led by Additional Special Superintendent of Police Ruhul Amin Sarker, acting on a tip-off.
According to preliminary investigations, the syndicate targeted candidates who had been disqualified at various stages of the ongoing police recruitment process. The fraudsters would contact these candidates, claiming to have influential connections with high-ranking officials and providing a “100 percent guarantee” that they could reinstate them into the recruitment process for a job.
To gain the trust of their victims, the duo employed a specific tactic – they provided their own bank cheques as security collateral before accepting any advance payments. In a recent instance, the group contacted a job seeker and demanded Tk4.5 lakh to ensure his appointment.
To convince the candidate, Shafaet Hossain provided a signed Dutch-Bangla Bank cheque worth Tk5 lakh as security.
The suspects subsequently brought the candidate to the Rajarbagh Central Police Hospital under the guise of completing formal medical examinations. Based on prior intelligence, a CID team had established surveillance in the hospital area and caught the suspects red-handed during the “medical” proceedings.
Law enforcement officials seized Tk4.5 lakh in cash and the signed Tk5 lakh Dutch-Bangla Bank cheque from their possession.
CID records further reveal that Shafaet Hossain is a named accused in three previous cases involving cheque forgery, fraud, and murder.
Authorities are currently verifying Shafaet’s claim of being a retired Army Sergeant. Investigations are also ongoing to determine if other individuals are involved in the ring or if there are additional victims. The process of filing a case and initiating legal action against the suspects is currently underway.
