RAB detains 8 over SMS lottery scam

At a press briefing, RAB 4 Commanding Officer (CO) Khandaker Lutful Kabir said: “The detainees have pocketed a large amount of money alluring people with fake SMSs stating that they have won the lottery. “The RAB team arrested 7 Nigerians and 1 Bangladeshi along with 22 mobile phones, 1 laptop, 2 modems, SIM cards and huge native and foreign currency from their possession,” he added. The detainees were: Ugochukwu Alfred, Anukwu Donatus Ekwealor, Chidi Ibewuike, Michael Onyedika Nneji, Obum Samuel Chukkwu Dulu, Henry Esiak, Anayo Ogagba and Ariful Islam. The accused were arrested during a drive by RAB in the Mirpur and Ashkona area of Dhaka, after information and cooperation was provided by a victim, Jhalkathi’s Brishti Begum. According to Brishti, she had received an SMS from the detainees which read: “Dear customer Congratulation! Your Mobile number won Five Lakh Pound and 51 Inch LED TV from Samsung Lottery, To claim send your name, sex, age, Mobile number and address to …” The SMS sender, Ugochukwu Alfred, then proceeded to defraud Brishti of Tk1.6lakhs, claiming it was required for VAT at the customs of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. He received the money through two private bank accounts under the fake name “William”, said RAB. Brishti realised she had been duped when she found no parcel for her at the airport customs. She tried to contact the fraudster's number regarding this, but found that the phone had been switched off. The frauds dug their own graves, however, when they contacted Brishti again to defraud even more money on Sunday. They claimed that the parcel had been released and asked her to bring Tk50,000 to Mirpur Sony Cinema Hall gate to receive the “gift”. Brishti informed RAB of the incident immediately. RAB told Brishti to go to the cinema hall as she had been asked and conducted a sting operation. 2 Nigerians and 1 Bangladeshi were detained, however 2 other Bangladeshis managed to escape. Later, 5 Nigerian citizens were arrested by RAB from Uttara, Ashkona, Mirpur, and Kalshi areas following the detainees’ interrogation. RAB 4 CO Lutful said: “Among the Nigerians, 4 are staying in Bangladesh illegally, with expired passports and visas, while legal steps against the accused are underway.”