4 fake DGFI members held in Savar over extorting money

The arrests took place on Tuesday afternoon in Police Town area of Savar, where the police apprehended the four suspects and took them to the Savar Model Police Station.

The arrested individuals are Habib, 50, from Gopalganj, Mizan, 55, a fake DGFI captain is a resident of Jessore; Mohammad Nasir, 35, a driver who hailed from Mirpur Kalapani; and Kader Sikdar, 42, from Narail, who was also involved in the scam. However, the leader of the group, Yaz Uddin Montu, and his accomplice, Manik, remain at large.

According to the victims, the fake DGFI officers would approach them while pretending to be officers of the DGFI. Abdul Kaium, one of the victims, explained that Mizan, pretending to be a DGFI captain, demanded Tk 100,000 from him. When Kaium said he could only afford 10,000 taka, they agreed to take 10,000 taka initially with the rest to be paid in seven days.

Shamim, an auto-rickshaw garage owner, shared that the impostors, pretending to be DGFI agents, demanded Tk 500,000 from him for allegedly operating an illegal auto-rickshaw. When he refused to pay, they threatened him with various forms of intimidation.

Another victim, Faruk Hossain Parvez, from Rajfulbari, stated that the impostors contacted him over a land dispute, falsely claiming to be DGFI officers from Dhaka headquarters. They demanded that he vacate the property which had been in his family for generations. The perpetrators called him again, demanding Tk 100,000, threatening him with imprisonment if the money was not paid within seven days.

Savar Police Station officer-in-charge Sirajul Islam Sabuj confirmed that the four individuals were arrested with the help of locals, police, and real DGFI members. Fake identification cards and various materials were seized from the suspects. The police have filed a case against the arrested individuals and legal proceedings are underway.