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DB police say 80 networks are active nationwide in mobile phone theft and robbery
Published : 05 Jun 2024, 11:19 PM
Police have announced the recovery of the stolen mobile phone of Religious Affairs Minister Md Faridul Haque Khan from Malaysia.
Those who had stolen the phone and sent it abroad brought it back under pressure.
Harunor Rashid, the additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police and chief of DMP’s Detective Branch, shared this information with journalists at his office on Wednesday.
According to him, there are 80 networks nationwide involved in mobile phone theft and robbery, one of which was responsible for stealing the minister's phone.
The leader of these groups is Zakir Hossain, who has been arrested.
The minister lost his mobile phone during the funeral prayers for the wife of Awami League leader Rashed Mosharraf in Mosharrafganj, Islampur Municipality, Jamalpur, on Apr 30. It was stolen from his pocket.
Harun said a general diary was filed at the local police station regarding this incident, and the minister himself informed him over the phone.
Subsequently, the DB’s Cyber Crime Unit started working on the case, leading to the arrest of Zakir.
Based on Zakir's information, Masud Sharif, Ziaul Molla Zia, Rajib Khan Munna, Md Al Amin Mia, Anwar Hossain alias Sohel, Md Russel, Md Khokon Ali, and Md Billal Hossain were caught.
Police learned that Munna had stolen the minister's phone and handed it to Russel. Russel then sold it to someone named 'Borhan' for Tk 50,000. Borhan sent it to Malaysia through an individual named 'Hero'.
After the arrest of Munna and Russel, pressure was applied to bring the phone back to the country, and the network returned it on Tuesday using the same process.
The mobile phone is currently in the custody of the detective police. Harun said it would be handed over to the minister within a couple of days.
During the briefing, it was revealed that out of these 80 phone theft rings, at least six are active in Dhaka, and they communicate with each other. Expensive mobile phones end up in Riazuddin Market in Chattogram, where their IMEI numbers are changed and sold in the open market.
Most of these phones are eventually sent abroad, including to Dubai, Malaysia, and India. The thieves occasionally use courier services for this purpose.
