Six Chinese nationals held with 1,938 iPhones

COX’S BAZAR, Sep 04: Six Chinese nationals have been detained in Cox’s Bazar over suspected involvement in online fraud, with police recovering 1,938 iPhones, 30-40 laptops and other communication equipment from a hotel.

The six were detained during a raid on Hotel Sea Palace on Thursday night, said Additional Superintendent of Police Ohidur Rahman.

Police also seized communication devices that officers said appeared similar to equipment used by foreign law-enforcement agencies. A case has been filed against the detainees on allegations of online fraud and cybercrime, Ohidur said.

The operation followed intelligence received from Dhaka after a complaint was lodged with Ramu Police Station, according to police.

However, police have yet to disclose the case number, identities of the detainees or specific details of the allegations.

Ohidur referred questions about the case to Ramu Police Station. Its officer-in-charge, Muhammad Anwarul Hossain, could not be reached despite repeated phone calls, while Inspector (Investigation) Arup Kumar Chowdhury also referred queries to the OC.

A police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said investigators suspected that more foreign nationals might be involved in similar activities in the tourist town.

The officer claimed that 200-300 Chinese and Taiwanese nationals were staying at two hotels along Marine Drive and were suspected of involvement in online fraud. Police operations to detain them were continuing, he said.

The claim could not be independently verified, and police did not immediately provide evidence to substantiate the alleged scale of the operation.

Hotel Sea Palace authorities said the group of Chinese nationals had checked into the hotel on August 26. Several members were detained during Thursday night’s raid. The hotel declined to comment on the purpose of their visit or their activities during their stay.