Mobile Banking Service Providers (MFS) have around 5000 illegal agents across the country. Because of them, about 75 thousand crore taka have been laundered in the last one year. The agents laundered this money through hundi using Mobile Banking or Mobile Financial Services (MFS) bKash, Nagad, Rocket and Upay. Due to this, Bangladesh has been deprived of remittances equivalent to about 25 thousand crore taka in the last four months. Which is like 7.8 billion (780 crore) in US dollars. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police informed this information.
CID chief Additional IGP Mohammad Ali conveyed this information in a press conference at Malibagh in the capital on Thursday (September 8). Earlier on Wednesday (September 7), the Financial Crime and Cyber Crime Unit of the CID arrested 16 people from the illegal hundi gang from Dhaka and Chittagong.
In a press conference, CID chief Additional IGP Mohammad Ali Mia said that CID is investigating the increase in dollar prices. 16 people involved in hundi business have been arrested. During their interrogation, it was reported that 20 crore 70 lakhs taka have been laundered in the last 4 months. Besides, by collecting information through CID’s cyber intelligence, CID has found more than 5000 agents who are involved laundering money through hundi in MFS.
The CID chief also said that at the initial stage we found out that they were found to be involved with MFS agents through bKash, Nagad, Rocket and Upay. These 5,000 agents have smuggled 25,000 crore taka in the last 4 months and 75,000 crore taka in a year. These gangs are constantly making millions of taka through cash-in using MFS illegally. With the help of MFS agents, the traffickers are also operating many illegal businesses including online gambling, drug trading, gold smuggling, yaba trading, besides acquiring fixed assets abroad.
These illegal activities are offenses under section 2(x) (14) of Domestic and Foreign Currency Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012. Which is punishable under Section 4(2) of the same Act. He also said that appropriate legal measures are under process along with the case record.
The arrested are – Akhtar Hossain (40), Didarul Alam Sumon (34), Khorshed Alam Imon (22), Rumon Kanti Das Joy (34), Rashed Manjur Feroz (45), Md. Hossainul Kabir (35), Navin Ullah (37), Md. Junaidul Haque (30), Adibur Rahman (25), Asif Nawaz (27), Farhad Hossain (25), Abdul Bachir (27), Mahbubur Rahman Salim (50), Abdul Awal Sohag (36), Fazle Rabbi (27) and Shamima Akhter (32)
10 lakh 46 thousand 680 taka in cash, 3 crore 46 lakh 47 thousand 229 electronic money and 34 mobile phones were recovered from the arrested persons. A total of four cases have been registered by the CID in this incident.