Police Arrest Four in Bhola Over Fraudulent Gold Duplication Racket

In a major breakthrough against superstition-based crime, police in Bhola’s Charfassion upazila have arrested four active members of an organised fraud syndicate that looted valuables from local women by promising to double their gold ornaments using supernatural powers through a “Jinn”.

Officers from Dularhat Police Station made the arrests on Monday afternoon following an alert from vigilant residents. Authorities also managed to recover a portion of the stolen gold jewellery and cash during subsequent operations driven by the suspects’ confessions.

The fraudulent scheme originated on the morning of 4 February in the home of Yanur Begum, located within Makbul Munshi’s residence in Ward No. 5 of Nurabad under Dularhat Police Station. The fraud syndicate targeted 17 local women, taking advantage of their simplicity and religious beliefs by promising to double their gold through the miraculous invocation of a Jinn. Seduced by the group’s persuasive promises, the unsuspecting victims handed over a combined total of 10 bhori and 11 ana of gold ornaments, carrying an estimated market value of 1,546,000 taka. Once the valuables were secured, the fraudsters swiftly fled the area and went into hiding.

The culprits returned to the same locality on the afternoon of 27 July in an attempt to pull off a similar scheme. Recognising the fraudsters, local victims used clever tactics to detain four members of the group before alerting the authorities. A team from Dularhat Police Station promptly arrived on the scene, taking custody of the suspects and placing them under formal arrest.

The arrested individuals have been identified as 30-year-old Mst. Ruma, daughter of the late Abdul Latif; 26-year-old Mst. Mukta, daughter of Nagar Chowkidar; 50-year-old Md. Swapan Faraji, son of the late Abdul Latif Faraji; and 26-year-old Md. Alamin, son of Swapan Faraji. All four reside in the Nurabad area under Dularhat upazila.

Following the arrests, police conducted targeted raids based on confessions obtained from the suspects. The operation yielded one pair of gold bangles weighing 4 bhori and 12 ana with an estimated value of 150,000 taka, one pair of gold earrings weighing 12 ana and 3 ratti, alongside 52,000 taka in cash.

Dularhat Police Station confirmed that a formal case has been registered under Sections 406 and 420 of the Penal Code following a written complaint submitted by one of the victims. Confirming the legal developments, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Dularhat Police Station, Yasin Alam Chowdhury, stated that appropriate legal measures have been initiated against the detained suspects. Police operations remain ongoing to track down remaining absconding accomplices and retrieve the rest of the stolen gold.