CID seeks shutdown of 116 gambling websites
The Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has sent a list to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to shut down 116 illegal gambling websites and apps in the country. In addition, eight persons from four sites have been arrested. CID stated that through these four sites, more than two crore taka was siphoned off daily. They used to launder that money abroad through hundi and cryptocurrency. On Sunday, CID Chief and Additional IGP Mosleh Uddin Ahmed disclosed this information at a press conference.
Mosleh Uddin Ahmed said that CID’s Cyber Intelligence and Risk Management Unit has been regularly conducting cyber monitoring activities to prevent online gambling. In the cyber patrolling conducted from May 1 to today May 17, CID identified websites involved in gambling and provided information on 116 websites to BTRC for taking them down. Additionally, CID has requested the Bangladesh Bank’s intelligence department (BFIU) to take action and shut down 879 mobile banking accounts and 43 accounts of various banks that conduct gambling transactions through mobile banking.
Earlier, CID first arrested four persons connected to online gambling on May 6 from Mymensingh and Kishoreganj. Based on information provided by them, four more persons were arrested on May 16 from Palash in Narsingdi and from Dhanmondi in Dhaka.
The arrested persons are – Ashraf Uddin Ahmed, Sajib Chakraborty, Ashraful Islam of Kishoreganj, and Jasim Uddin of Mymensingh. Among them, the first two from Kishoreganj are distributors of a mobile banking company. The other four are – Taiyab Khan and Soumik Saha of Narsingdi, Kamruzzaman of Lakshmipur, and Abdur Rahman of Kishoreganj.
CID has stated that the arrested persons were operating four gambling sites. They used to siphon off approximately two crore taka daily. Most of this money was laundered abroad through hundi and cryptocurrency.
The CID Chief stated that during preliminary interrogation, they are admitting their involvement in online gambling. A case has been filed against them at Paltan Police Station under the Cyber Security Ordinance.
CID Chief and Additional IGP Mosleh Uddin Ahmed said that CID is working in coordination with BFIU and international law enforcement agencies to recover the laundered money. The process of identifying the international network of the syndicate and the associated crypto wallets through interrogation of the arrested persons is ongoing.
It is worth noting that earlier, CID had been able to bring back approximately 44 crore taka laundered in the ‘MTFE’ Ponzi scheme to the country.
