Fraudulent Tantric Arrested After Swindling Schoolgirl of Gold

The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) in Jamalpur has apprehended a primary suspect involved in a sophisticated fraud ring that targeted a teenage girl’s emotional vulnerabilities. The arrest followed a detailed investigation into how a 14-year-old student was manipulated into surrendering a vast quantity of family gold and cash under the guise of spiritual intervention.

Background and Manipulation

The victim, an eighth-grade student from Sherpur District and the eldest of three siblings, had been experiencing feelings of emotional neglect. She reportedly felt that her parents favoured her younger siblings, leading her to seek solace and solutions on social media.

Her search led her to TikTok, where she encountered a man identified as Md. Khorshed (29), who posed as a “Tantric” or spiritual healer. Subsequently, Khorshed and his associates utilised multiple accounts on the messaging app Imo—bearing names such as “Kobiraj” and “Allah’s Gift”—to establish regular communication with the girl, promising to resolve her domestic grievances through supernatural means.

Financial and Asset Extortion

Between 6 and 9 March, the syndicate systematically extorted money from the teenager. Under various pretexts, including “Kobiraj fees” and the purchase of ritual items such as goats, prayer mats, incense, candles, milk, and fruit, they coerced her into sending 243,150 BDT via the mobile financial service, bKash.

The extortion escalated when the group convinced the girl to provide them with her family’s valuables. The syndicate successfully seized approximately 27.5 vhori (a traditional unit of measurement where 1 vhori equals 11.66 grams) of gold jewellery and an additional 100,000 BDT in cash.

Discovery and Law Enforcement Action

The fraud was uncovered when the girl attempted to send further funds through a bKash agent. The shopkeeper became suspicious of the large sum being handled by a minor and alerted her father, a local textile merchant. Following the discovery, the father filed a formal complaint at Sherpur Police Station.

Under the direction of Additional IGP Md. Mostafa Kamal of the PBI Headquarters, the Jamalpur PBI launched a technological investigation. On 9 April, officials conducted a raid in the Maona area of Sreepur, Gazipur, arresting two associates, Musa Mia (29) and Rafiqul Islam (28). Their subsequent interrogation led the police to the ringleader, Monir Hossain (21), in Mymensingh.

Case Summary and Recovered Assets

Recovery and Conclusion

During a press conference held on Thursday at the PBI office in the Baherhata area of Jamalpur, Police Superintendent Pankaj Dutta confirmed that the stolen gold had been recovered from a garden adjacent to Monir Hossain’s residence in Laxmirchar Union, where it had been buried.

The PBI highlighted that the suspect, Monir, was a known social media figure. Superintendent Dutta stated that multiple teams collaborated to solve the mystery and recover the assets. The suspects are currently undergoing the legal process for court production.