‘Hello, your son’s in trouble!’ Strange callers from Dhaka airport ripping off people

Abul Bashar gets a phone call shortly after seeing off his Bahrain-bound son at Shahjalal International Airport. The man at the other end tells him that his son is in trouble inside the airport and needs some money.

The worried father immediately transfers Tk 36,000 to the bKash number that the caller gave.

But when his son called him from Bahrain, Bashar found out it was all a hoax.

Following this incident reported on Mar 17, the Criminal Investigation Department or CID of police have nabbed a gang accused of swindling people out of their money in such manner.

The department arrested the leader of the gang, Md Jabed, and two bKash agents, Md Yusuf and Mehedi Hasan, on Wednesday.

Jabed, who works as a security guard at the airport, was picked up from his workplace while the others were detained from Gazipur.

This gang has come up with unique ways to deceive people who come to bid farewell to their relatives at the airport, according to CID. 

CID’s Special Superintendent of Police Molla Nazrul Islam told bdnews24.com on Thursday that Abul Bashar started a case with Mohammadpur police on Mar 17.

“Jabed, who works as a security guard for a private company, started a friendly conversation with Bashar at the parking lot of the airport and gleaned information about his family.

“He starts conversations with people and takes their numbers. As soon as the passenger goes out of network, he calls them up and in this way he has earned millions so far,” said the officer.

Jabed has confessed to cheating more than 1,000 passengers so far. “The two bKash agents are his accomplices.”

Similar gangs are still active and the police are trying to catch them, he added.