Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has arrested 12 members of a honey trap gang, including two women, by conducting operations in various locations of the capital.
The arrestees are Tuliya Akhtar alias Sumi (20), Dulali alias Mim, Md Omar Faruk (32), Md Shafiqul Islam Shanto (38), Md Sojal Talukder (38), Yasin (43), Md Nasir Khan (46), Saddam (34), Mehedi Hasan Shahriar (30), Azizul Hakim Tutul (32), Md Kamrul Islam (38), and Md Rabbi (25).
According to Jatrabari Thana sources, on 11 January at around 5:20am, members of the gang abducted two individuals from the Sayedabad Janapad roundabout area, took them to a house on Matuail Graveyard Road under Jatrabari thana, detained them, and beat them.
At that time, they took compromising photographs of them with two unidentified women. The arrestees demanded Tk10 lakh as ransom from the abducted persons and threatened to circulate the compromising photos on social media, including to their acquaintances, if the money was not paid.
Additionally, they took Tk48,000 in cash found in the victims’ wallets, a silver chain weighing two bhori, a diamond ring, and a total of Tk 5,31,500 withdrawn from ATM booths using their bKash and bank cards before releasing them.
A case was filed at Jatrabari Thana on 13 January in connection with this incident.
In another incident, an individual came into contact with the arrested Tuliya Akhtar Sumi through social media. When Sumi requested to meet the individual, he met Sumi on 15 December in front of Staff Quarter Hossain Plaza under Demra Thana.
After the meeting, when Sumi requested the victim to go to her house, he followed along. Within 10 minutes of entering the house, 6/7 unidentified individuals beat him indiscriminately and demanded Tk8 lakh from him. When he refused to pay the demanded money, they threatened to kill him.
Helpless, he gave them the Tk48,500 in cash he had with him, two gold rings weighing 1 bhori, and arranged for Tk4,46,500 from his family via bKash. Later, they threw him out of the house after threatening him in various ways.
Based on the complaint of the plaintiff, Mokhlesur, a case was filed at Demra Thana also on 13 January in connection with this incident.
Investigation into the two separate incidents revealed that the arrestees were members of the same gang. With the help of intelligence information, multiple teams from Jatrabari and Demra Thanas conducted joint operations in various locations of the capital on 15 and 16 February, arresting 12 people who police said were members of the gang.
Preliminary investigation has revealed that members of this gang use social media to establish relationships with various individuals and, after trapping them, extort cash and valuables from the targeted persons.
According to DMP sources, there are other members of this gang and the process of arresting and taking legal action against the gang is ongoing.
