One arrested for demanding money from hospitals using late former MP's name
A fraud ring has been accused of phoning various hospitals, institutions and individuals to demand money in the name of a doa and milad mahfil for the late former member of parliament Alhaj Salahuddin Ahmed. Police have arrested one person in a case filed by Salahuddin Ahmed's son Tanvir Ahmed Robin, member secretary of BNP's Dhaka Metropolitan South unit, over the incident.
On Tuesday (20 October), Tanvir Ahmed Robin said members of the fraud ring had been phoning different places demanding money in the name of the doa and milad mahfil. As soon as he learned of it, he filed a general diary (GD) and a written complaint at Kadamtali police station in the capital. A case was later filed over the incident.
Tanvir Ahmed Robin said police have already arrested one person. “I do not know those who have been arrested. We have no acquaintance with them,” he said. The allegation is that people with no connection to the family were carrying out this fraud using the late leader's name.
He said they have so far received information about money being demanded from at least three hospitals. The hospitals are Royal Hospital, Deshbangla Hospital and Islami Hospital. Because the owners of these institutions know them, they were able to inform the family.
Tanvir Ahmed Robin said, “The hospital owners know us, and we know them. They are the ones who informed us. Those who do not know us or have no means of contacting us may be misled into thinking such phone calls are genuine.” This means there are fears that others who could not verify may already have fallen victim to the fraud.
Thanking Kadamtali police for taking swift action against the fraud ring, he said police identified the number from which the money demands were made and conducted a raid. One person was arrested from the Badda area late at night, he said.
He said, “Kadamtali police acted very quickly. I am grateful to them for that. Had swift action not been taken, our honour could have been damaged. People often believe things without verifying them.”
Collecting money in the name of a doa mahfil for a deceased personality — this kind of fraud is built on exploiting emotion. Law enforcement agencies are also concerned about this tactic of extracting money from people by using religious sentiment and respect for the deceased.
Tanvir Ahmed Robin has called on everyone to stay alert so that no one is misled by such fraud. Even if money is asked over the phone in the name of a known leader or family, he advised not to pay without direct verification.
It is believed that by interrogating the arrested person, efforts will continue to identify the remaining members of the ring. Police are also investigating where else the ring has demanded money in this way.
The incident is another reminder that verifying identity is the most effective way to prevent fraud when money is demanded over the phone. Stakeholders have urged people to contact the family or institution concerned directly to confirm if they receive a suspicious call.
