Nine foreign nationals held for fake currency scam

Of the detainees seven are from Cameroon, Abdou Nassara, 35, Jean Claude, 40, Gonou Desire, 37, Mimba Serges, 37, Kambiwa Dieu Nedort, 43, Moguem Solo, 42 and Tiadeu Barnard, 34. Two from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ngonga Diasonama Merlin, 41 and Mutombo Nzali Yousouf, 44. One Bangladeshi, a woman was named Mare Moyna Poroi Taylor, 26. RAB 2 Commanding Officer Lt Col Moin Uddin Ahmad said: “They were detained during a drive conducted on Sunday night with a large amounts of fake foreign and Bangladeshi currencies.” He said five of the foreign nationals did not have passports with them while four had their visas expired. The commanding officer explained that the detainees ran a scam with black dollars which is counterfeited foreign currency, in this case it was US dollars. The color of the fake money is black so that it can go undetected at the airport. The money returns to its original color upon being washed with a chemical mixture. The RAB officer said the gang would contact Bangladeshis via e-mail or phone and offer to trade the black dollars by selling them at a lower rate, most of the currency they sold were counterfeit. He said they would give the buyer real dollars at first to build trust and then sell them fake currency once that trust was established. The black dollars are usually brought into the country through diplomatic luggage, said Lt Col Moin Uddin Ahmad. RAB says that the gang has been in the business of selling counterfeit money for a long time along with dealing drugs. Legal action being taken against them, Lt Col Moin Uddin Ahmad said.