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Published : 27 Jul 2026, 04:32 PM
A gang posing as "Tantriks" -- traditional occult healers or fortune tellers -- on Facebook has been duping women by convincing them that chemical burns on their hands were the work of “evil Jinns”.
Hoping to resolve tension with her husband, a woman contacted a Facebook account named “Rahmat Ali Kabiraj (a title used by folk healers or herbalists) on Monday.
She was told her domestic troubles would be resolved "with the help of a Jinn”, a supernatural being from Islamic belief.
Money was taken from her in several instalments, first as a "Hadiya" (offering), then to buy a "Jalali Kobutor" or pigeon.
She was then instructed, over an Imo video call, to buy potassium permanganate and a juicy sweet from the market.
The moment she followed instructions and held the two items in her palm, an intense burning sensation set in, and her hand was scarred within moments.
The fraud did not end there. More money was taken from her on the promise of healing the wound.
In total, Tk 21,000 was extracted from the victim.
The woman filed a case over the incident at Khilkhet Police Station in Dhaka.
Investigating the case, the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) said this was not an isolated incident, but the work of an organised fraud ring that had been cheating people using this method for a long time under the guise of “Tantriks”.
Based on the investigation, Ohid Mia alias Kuwait, 24, and Mahe Alam, 27, were arrested in Chandina, Cumilla, on Jul 24, along with Hasan Ali, 20, from Sudharam in Noakhali.
Mobile phones and multiple SIM cards used in the fraud were seized from them.
Additional Superintendent of Police Shibli Noman briefed reporters on the matter at the PBI's Specialised Investigation and Operations office in Kalyanpur on Monday.
The officer overseeing the investigation said the fraud had been carried out in a planned manner by exploiting people's religious beliefs, superstitions and family vulnerabilities, adding that digital data analysis had helped identify the entire method used by the ring.
Investigating officer Sub-Inspector Nazmul Hoque told bdnews24.com that gang members were identified through analysis of their digital footprint, mobile phone records and financial transactions.
They admitted to the fraud during initial questioning, and Ohid and Hasan later gave confessional statements before a court, he added.
How Scam Played Out
The briefing revealed the gang ran multiple Facebook and Imo accounts under names such as "Rahmat Ali Kabiraj", "Hossain Kabiraj", "Asma Kabiraj" and "Tantrik Kabiraj", specifically targeting women anxious about family disputes, marital problems or troubled relationships.
They would first promise to resolve issues through spiritual power, jinn or occult rituals, then begin extracting money in stages under various pretexts.
At some point, victims were told to hold potassium permanganate and a juicy sweet in their palm or against their navel for a set period.
When the resulting chemical reaction left a wound, the gang would blame it on "the influence of Jinn" to frighten victims into paying more.
How Burns Happen
Iqbal Rouf Mamun, a chemistry professor at Dhaka University, said the wounds on victims' bodies had nothing to do with any supernatural power, but were the result of a chemical reaction.
According to him, potassium permanganate is a chemical substance which, when mixed with sugar or a juicy sweet and held clenched in the palm for some time, triggers an oxidation reaction.
The reaction generates significant heat and causes the substance to turn acidic.
Explaining that this heat and chemical action is what burns the skin, Mamun said the substance produced in the reaction behaves like an acid, and just as acid burns skin on contact, the same kind of wound occurs here.
Fraud Reached India
The PBI investigation also found that the gang, operating out of Bangladesh, had targeted Indian citizens using the same method.
Investigating officer Nazmul said Facebook pages were run using Indian mobile numbers, with payments collected through Google Pay under the pretext of solving problems.
The money was then brought into Bangladesh through hundi, an informal, trust-based system of transferring money across borders outside formal banking channels.
The investigation further found that the fake Facebook pages regularly spent money on advertisements or boosted posts to reach more people and draw in new victims.
Similar Burns
Analysing data obtained from the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery during the investigation, the PBI found that at least 200 people had received treatment for similar chemical burns in recent months.
Investigators are examining whether these cases have any link to the fraud ring.
Asked about this, Shawon Bin Rahman, a resident surgeon at the institute, told bdnews24.com that most patients treated for such burns were young women.
Asked whether the number of such patients stood at around 200, he said he could not confirm the exact figure but that it was roughly in that range.
bdnews24.com also found that Dhaka Medical College Hospital's burn unit had been regularly receiving similar chemically burnt patients for almost a year, with multiple cases arriving some weeks, though no specific records were kept on the matter.
A doctor at the burn unit, speaking on condition of anonymity, said most of those arriving with such burns were women, and nearly all of them said they had landed in trouble after following the advice of a self-styled Tantrik or Kabiraj in the hope of mending a marital or romantic relationship.
Additional SP Noman said efforts were under way to identify and arrest other members linked to the case, adding that the investigation into the gang's financial transactions, online activities and other potential victims was continuing.
