Fake uniforms, IDs and job notices found as DB arrests alleged scammer

The Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested a man from the capital's Uttara early today for allegedly embezzling money from people by promising them jobs while posing as a high-ranking government official.

The suspect is Md Nurul Chowdhury, 40, said Md Shafiqul Islam, additional commissioner of DB, at a press conference at the DMP Media Centre on Minto Road this afternoon.

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Acting on a tip-off, a team from the DB's Ramna Division arrested Nurul from a house in the Sunday-Society residential area in Uttara around 3:45am, said Shafiqul.

Two walkie-talkies, two chargers, a fake passport, a fake ID card identifying him as an army major, and another fake ID card identifying him as a Rab deputy director with the rank of colonel were recovered from his possession, said Shafiqul, also the DB chief.

DB officials also seized three mobile phones, 10 army uniforms, army medical books, various forms and pads, passport-size photographs of Nurul in army major and superintendent of police uniforms, fake army recruitment notices, and job application forms, he said.

"Nurul used fake recruitment notices, application forms, ID cards, army uniforms, and photographs in uniforms of various forces to gain credibility through deception," the DB official said.

During interrogation, Nurul confessed that he and his associates had been carrying out the fraud for a long time.

Unemployed youths, rickshaw pullers, labourers and other low-income people were the primary targets of the gang, Shafiqul said.

Nurul also deceived people by posing as members of the police's Special Branch (SB) and DB, and sometimes as a "superintendent of police".

An operation is underway to arrest others involved in the fraud, and a case has been filed against Nurul at Shah Ali Police Station, the DB chief added.

In a separate drive, another team from the DB's Gulshan Division arrested four members of a robbery gang while they were allegedly preparing to carry out a robbery at a house near Hatirjheel in Dhaka around noon, said the DB chief at the same briefing.

The arrestees are Md Rakib, 32, Rashedul Hawladar, 27, Jubayer Islam, 40, and Bijoy Sarkar alias David, 27.

Two foreign-made pistols, two magazines, five bullets, a toy pistol, three cleavers, five crude bombs and a dagger were recovered from their possession, he added.