After returning to Bangladesh, Liton Mia began working in visa processing. Unfortunately, someone he processed a visa for left the country without paying him. This caused Liton to become vindictive and turn to fraud, according to the police.
He would advertise discounted airline tickets on social media, collecting money and providing fake tickets to at least 400,000 people. Expatriates were particularly targeted, and through this scam, Liton used to make Tk3 lakh a month.
Liton Mia revealed the information following his arrest by the police.
Three individuals, including Liton, were arrested by the Detective Branch (DB) of police in different parts of Dhaka on Thursday.
The other two individuals are Md Bellal Hossain, 47, and Md Riyaz Sheikh, 35.
Detectives seized two mobile phones, a computer, a debit card and a cheque book during the arrests.
DB chief Mohammad Harun-Or-Rashid said: “Kuwait expatriate Majnu Mia informed his relative Humayun Kabir on February 25 that he would come to Bangladesh on vacation in May. Due to the high cost of tickets from Kuwait to Bangladesh, he asked to buy tickets from Bangladesh.
“Humayun Kabir, not knowing any travel agents in Bangladesh, found Sunflower Travels International online offering a 15% discount on Kuwait-Dhaka-Kuwait tickets. After contacting the phone number given on Facebook, they promised to provide the tickets.”
“On 26 February, Humayun Kabir met with Liton Mia in the Dholpur area of Jatrabari, discussed with Majnu Mia, and gave Liton Tk5,000 in cash and a photocopy of the passport. The remaining Tk47,000 was paid to Lipton's bank account number. After receiving the money, the group sent a copy of the Jazeera Airlines ticket to Majnu Mia's WhatsApp. Later, it was found that the ticket was fake. When they tried to contact Liton, he blocked Majnu Mia on WhatsApp,” he added.
According to the DB, Liton completed his education up to the fourth grade and worked as a garment worker in the country before going to Kuwait to work as a driver. Upon returning to the country, he began visa processing work. However, when someone absconded abroad without paying Liton, he became vindictive and got involved in fraud.
Over the past few months, Liton has lured approximately 400,000 into his scam.
The DB chief said: “Expatriates typically look for cheaper tickets when travelling to their home country. Liton exploited this by offering tickets on a 10% to 15% discount. This way, Liton's monthly earnings were Tk3 lakh to Tk4 lakh from deceiving many.”
“Many expatriates realize the ticket is fake only when they arrive at the airport for boarding. Many do not file complaints after travelling from abroad to their home country, considering it a hassle. Therefore, nobody should purchase tickets without verification just because they are on discount. And if they fell victimized, they should report to the police,” he added.
He said various package offers are being promoted with the upcoming Eid, including trips to three-four countries at low prices. However, it turns out the tickets and hotel booking documents provided are fake. Thus, he urged everyone to verify such package offers before making payments.