63 Foreign NationalsArrested on Mere Suspicion!

• Chittagong City Police’s Overzealous Conduct Raises Fears of Diplomatic Fallout

Rafiqul Islam Selim

Before criticism had even died down over the police-assisted “media trial” surrounding the arrest of six Chinese nationals from a hotel in the tourist city of Cox’s Bazar, police cordoned off a building in Chattogram city and arrested 63 foreign nationals, including women and children. Two special teams — from the Chattogram Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) and Khulshi Police Station — carried out a 22-hour operation at an eight-story house on Road No. 4 in Khulshi’s Krishnachura residential area.

The operation began Thursday at 3:30 PM and ended Friday afternoon. Those arrested include nationals of China, Pakistan, Laos, Nepal, and Vietnam — among them 20 women and several children. However, city police officials could not properly explain what crime justified arresting such a large number of foreigners, and police have no information on whether any complaint was filed against them.

This has raised questions about the police’s overzealous conduct. Detaining foreigners — including wives and children — solely on suspicion, without any specific complaint or evidence of a crime, risks damaging the government’s diplomatic relations with the countries involved, observers say. Foreign nationals can certainly be prosecuted if involved in crime, with embassy cooperation sought as needed — but treating them as criminals before any charge is proven is seen by many as damaging to the country’s image.

Critics note the irony: while police have failed badly at catching professional criminals and extortionists who actually threaten the city’s law and order, foreigners here to do business have been rounded up like criminals, detained, and sent to court without any complaint. Officials say the raid was based on intelligence from an agency, but police could not immediately produce evidence of any crime after the operation — police believe the group had gathered in the building specifically to commit crimes, though questions remain about arresting foreign nationals as suspects based on mere suspicion of intent.

The foreigners had rented the house from an expatriate Bangladeshi only about a month and a half earlier. Foreign nationals have long lived in the affluent Khulshi area, often renting housing together near factories built with foreign investment in Chattogram. Eyewitnesses said police suddenly cordoned off the building Thursday afternoon, going floor to floor to detain and question residents and conduct extensive searches — though a language barrier meant little communication was possible. Nearby residents likened the raid’s style to the staged “militant drama” raids of the former authoritarian era. In the end, police recovered only mobile phones, laptops, and some electronic devices — no other illegal items.

At a press conference yesterday afternoon at the CMP Commissioner’s office in Damparah, Additional Commissioner Mr. Faisal Ahmed was asked what crime justified the arrests. He said police had information the group was using IT tools at the building to commit organized financial fraud, illegal embezzlement, and unauthorized e-transactions. Asked whether any evidence of such offenses was found during the raid, or whether any fraud victim had filed a specific complaint, he said no — but added that whether they committed fraud is under investigation, and devices seized have been sent to a forensic lab, which will take some time.

On the fraud scheme itself, Mr. Ahmed said the group allegedly hacked various websites, then offered people online gambling and fake job schemes. He said that after major crackdowns on scammers in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, they had turned to Bangladesh, where he said they had only just begun setting up their operation; a full picture of victims would emerge once the forensic report on seized computers and laptops comes back per court order. On why many of those arrested had no passports, he said police learned their passports were being held by a Bangladeshi individual who had helped them rent the house.

Khulshi Police Station OC Mr. Abdur Rahim said their staying together in one building suggested they were “organized,” and that the devices found suggested preparation for fraudulent activity. Asked whether someone can be arrested merely for suspected intent to commit a crime, he said police had received information from above that they were involved in crime, though it remains unconfirmed whether the seized devices were actually used for fraud or embezzlement — that, he said, is subject to ongoing investigation.

He said he believed local networks were also involved, though the language barrier limited what could be learned. Passports for many were unavailable at the time, but families and embassies have said they will provide them. The OC said several detainees stated they had come to the country recently for business, and had given their passports to the person who rented the building on their behalf for safekeeping. Several city police officials, speaking anonymously, said the raid was carried out based on intelligence from an agency, that no immediate evidence of crime was found, that the foreigners were simply living there — some with families — and that they were detained on suspicion.

OC Abdur Rahim said the 63 arrested foreign nationals have been charged under Sections 21, 22, and 23 of the Cyber Security Act for digital fraud and illegal embezzlement. Of the 63 arrested, 34 are from Laos, 21 from Pakistan, 5 from China, 2 from Nepal, and 1 from Vietnam.