Fraud Under the Pretense of Foreign Employment
A mobile court sentenced 12 individuals to various terms of imprisonment and financial penalties for defrauding overseas job seekers near the Bangladesh-Korea Technical Training Centre in the capital. The elite force Rapid Action Battalion-4 conducted a drive on Friday following specific allegations of money and passport embezzlement under false promises of foreign employment. During the operation, several suspects attempted to evade accountability by chanting political slogans and claiming high-level administrative connections, though law enforcement maintained that criminal liability applies strictly regardless of political affiliation or personal influence.
Among the convicts, seven received prison sentences ranging from seven days to three months, while five others were handed monetary fines. Mr. Sabuj and Mr. Shamim received three-month prison terms, Mr. Sujon was sentenced to one month, Mr. Shahin to 21 days, Mr. Abul Bashar to 15 days, and Mr. Harun and Mr. Suruj Miah to seven days each. The executive magistrate also fined Mr. Durjoy BDT 10,000, Mr. Rezaul Karim BDT 5,000, Mr. Kaiyum BDT 4,000, Mr. Riaz BDT 2,000, and Mr. Kamrun Nahar BDT 1,000 after completing the mobile court proceedings on site.
The operation followed complaints from the training centre and Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited, triggering a detailed shadow investigation into the fraud ring. Lieutenant Colonel Md. Hafizur Rahman, Commanding Officer of RAB-4, stated, ‘According to investigation findings, members of the syndicate extracted money from job seekers by giving false assurances of overseas employment.’ He explained that the fraudsters guaranteed passing written examinations and job placement abroad while extracting BDT 40,000 to BDT 10 lakh per candidate before embezzling the collected funds.
The official further clarified that while the training centre only offers skill development, the recruitment agency manages legal migration transparently without fees under the Expatriates’ Welfare Ministry. Government-sponsored employment initiatives, such as overseas placement in Jordan, are conducted virtually free of charge without candidate expense for airfare or visas. The fraudulent syndicate deliberately exploited these government facilities to fleece vulnerable migrants, prompting law enforcement to dismantle the broker network and restore integrity to official overseas recruitment processes.
