Police Bust Online ‘Spiritual Fraud’ Targeting Distressed Families
A new wave of “spiritual fraud” is spreading across Facebook and WhatsApp, targeting people under emotional strain—such as those dealing with disobedient children, marital conflict, or family tensions. Offline deception has now firmly taken root online, expanding through Facebook Lives, reels, and advertisements that reach victims from villages to cities.
One such trap was set through a Facebook page named Quranic Shifa, which posted a video titled “Ways to Make Disobedient Children Obedient.” Police have arrested six individuals in connection with a case filed by a woman who fell victim to this scheme. According to information obtained from the detainees, they operated more than 25 Facebook pages under various names, posting content such as “Jinn Healing,” “Black Magic Removal,” “Husband/Wife Enchantment,” and “Child Obedience Rituals.” Each month, the ring targeted at least 8–10 victims, defrauding them in the name of spiritual healing, enchantment, black magic removal, and exorcism.
According to sources, the group swindled over Tk 35 lakh from a woman in the New Market area, promising to “make her disobedient child obedient” and later intimidating her into paying more. The six arrested individuals—Rakib Matbor, Alauddin Bepari, Mohiuddin Bepari, Manik, Forhad Hossain, and Mehedi Hasan—were found with 13 mobile phones used to run fake spiritual identities, manipulate voices, and operate their Facebook networks to lure new victims.
New Market Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Md. Firoz Ahmed, the investigating officer, said that using digital tracking, five suspects were arrested on Wednesday evening from Jigatala–Rayerbazar in Hazaribagh. The sixth was arrested early the next morning from Jatrapur in Chowgacha, Jashore.
Assistant Commissioner (AC) Jahangir Kabir of DMP’s New Market Division said the victim discovered the Quranic Shifa video while staying at her rented apartment on Elephant Road on 19 August. The video used religious undertones and the promise of resolving problems through jinn, making it difficult for emotionally vulnerable parents to ignore—she was no exception. She called the number provided in the advertisement, and thus began the “spiritual charade.”
A young man answered the call and introduced himself as a “spiritual guru,” claiming that the woman’s child was influenced by jinn and could be controlled through special prayers and spiritual methods. This became a psychological trap, using fear, vulnerability, and parental anxiety to progressively extract money.
First, she was told that “spiritual materials” were required, and Tk 5,500 was taken via bKash. The next day, the group sent staged photos on WhatsApp—depicting so-called black magic tools such as smoke, fire, black attire, and mystical symbols—to create the illusion of ritual work.
They later played “jinn voices” over the phone to frighten her, warning that her child was in grave danger. They then demanded increasingly large sums: Tk 49,000, Tk 1 lakh, and more, claiming new “complications.” Between 21 August and 17 September, the group extracted a total of Tk 35,44,105. The scammers were so professional that they never met her in person; all communication was conducted via WhatsApp, voice changers, and multiple phone numbers.
When the victim finally noticed inconsistencies in the videos, voice messages, and numbers, she grew suspicious and went directly to New Market Police Station to file a case against unidentified perpetrators.
DBTech/PBO/MUM/OR
