The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has busted an online gambling ring that earned nearly Tk 20 million daily, most of which was laundered abroad through hundi and cryptocurrency.
Eight members of the syndicate, which allegedly managed both domestic and international gambling sites for the past six months, were arrested recently, officials said at a press briefing on Sunday.
The arrestees have been identified as Md Ashraf Uddin Ahmed, 32, Sajib Chakraborty, 29, Md Ashraful Islam, 40, Md Jasim Uddin, 36, Taiyeb Khan, 26, Soumik Saha, 28, Md Kamruzzaman, 36, and Abdur Rahman, 47.
Speaking at the CID headquarters in Dhaka's Malibagh, Additional Inspector General of Police Mosleh Uddin Ahmed, who has been given the charge as DMP Chief, said gamblers used mobile financial services (MFS) like bKash, Rocket, and Nagad, alongside various bank accounts and crypto wallets, to make transactions.
"The funds were later illegally laundered abroad using cryptocurrency and digital hundi channels," the CID chief added.
The arrests followed a case filed at Paltan Police Station after the CID's Cyber Police Centre spotted the ring during routine digital surveillance.
On May 6, law enforcement officials conducted raids in Mymensingh and Kishoreganj to arrest four suspects.
Based on information gleaned from them, four more suspects were picked up from Narsingdi's Palash and Dhaka's Dhanmandi on Saturday.
A large cache of digital devices and other evidence was seized during the operations.
The suspects have confessed to their direct involvement in online gambling and digital hundi operations during primary interrogation, according to the CID.
Mosleh Uddin explained that the crime ring operated via a highly organised, layered structure.
"The lower layer collects information. The next layer handles logistics, such as gathering agent SIM cards, while another layer distributes the funds. The top tier coordinates the entire operation and provides instructions via Telegram channels," he said.
He added that both local and international suspects are currently under the scanner, though the exact amount of money laundered abroad is still being determined.
The CID noted that no direct involvement of MFS officials or employees has been found so far.
The CID has identified 116 gambling websites and forwarded the list to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to shut them down.
Details of 879 MFS accounts linked to these suspicious transactions have been sent to the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) for further action. "bdnews24
