Law enforcement authorities in Bangladesh have arrested a dismissed soldier accused of orchestrating a widespread fraud scheme by impersonating a Major of the Bangladesh Army and the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI).
The suspect, identified as Asadul Islam, was apprehended on Wednesday night around 11:00 pm at Café Columbia in Dhaka’s upscale Gulshan area. The arrest followed a coordinated operation conducted jointly by officers from the Gulshan Police Station and the Santhia Police Station of Pabna district. A police source in Gulshan confirmed the development on Thursday morning.
Investigators revealed that Asadul, the son of Abul Majid Molla from Dhulauri village in Pabna’s Santhia upazila, previously served as a regular soldier in the Bangladesh Army. However, his military career came to an abrupt end in 2024 when he was dismissed from service on charges of engaging in unethical activities.
Rather than stepping back from public life, the former soldier allegedly turned to high-stakes deception immediately following his dismissal. Adopting the fabricated rank of Major, he claimed to be an active officer within both the army and the DGFI, the country’s premier military intelligence agency. To lend further weight to his false credentials, Asadul also told victims that he was posted at the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC), a specialized intelligence and surveillance body.
Armed with these fabricated titles, Asadul targeted numerous individuals, extorting substantial sums of money by promising lucrative government jobs, favourable departmental transfers, and rapid promotions. To convince hesitant victims of his influence, he routinely boasted of having close personal ties with high-ranking state figures, including the Home Minister, the Law Minister, and senior secretaries across various government ministries.
Police reports indicate that his audacity extended right into the heart of the state administration. Using his bogus military rank to bypass routine scrutiny, Asadul allegedly frequented the Bangladesh Secretariat, attempting to deceive high-level ministry secretaries under the guise of an intelligence official.
The joint raid in Gulshan was executed on the basis of an active arrest warrant issued against him in connection with a fraud case previously filed at the Santhia Police Station.
Speaking on the operation, Anisur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge of Santhia Police Station, described the suspect as a dangerous fraudster who had been evading justice. Following his capture in the capital, Asadul was transferred to Pabna under police custody, where authorities are preparing to produce him before a local court for further legal proceedings.
