The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police has arrested three individuals on charges of laundering money obtained through online gambling. The arrests were made during a raid in various locations in Tangail district on Sunday.
The arrested individuals are identified as Mo. Solaiman (47) from Kagmara area, Mo. Sagar Mia (28) from Enayetpur area, and Mo. Jewel Rana (32) from Dighibil area of Moghra Union. According to a CID press release, a team from the Cyber Police Center (CPC) first arrested Solaiman from a departmental store he owned in Kagmara Bridge area. Later, based on his information, Sagar Mia and Jewel Rana were arrested from a Bikash distribution house in Collegepara area.
In preliminary interrogation, the arrested individuals provided crucial information about their involvement in online betting activities and financial transactions. According to the investigation, Solaiman supplied agent SIMs to Sagar Mia in exchange for money. Meanwhile, Sagar Mia and Jewel Rana, as Mobile Financial Services (MFS) Distribution Sales Officers (DSO), collected various agent SIMs in exchange for commissions and supplied them to gambling websites.
The CID stated that during regular cyber monitoring, they identified the activities of various online betting or gambling websites operated from within and outside the country. These sites were being advertised on social media and various online platforms. Betting was being conducted through international cricket, football, and online casinos.
On May 17, the CID filed a case under the Cyber Security Act, 2026 at Paltan Police Station. With the help of information technology, data related to the involved agents, Mobile Financial Services (MFS), and bank accounts were collected. The investigation revealed that interested individuals had to open accounts on specific websites to participate in online betting. They were encouraged to deposit money through Bkash, cash, Rocket, Upay, bank accounts, or cryptocurrencies.
The arrested individuals allegedly recruited agents in various parts of the country. According to the CID, these agents' MFS and bank accounts were collected and used on betting sites. The money obtained through gambling, after deducting commissions, was sent abroad through various bank accounts and cryptocurrency platforms.
Investigation officers noted that technology-dependent financial transactions and the use of cryptocurrencies make identifying such crimes more complex. However, efforts are ongoing to detect these networks through digital forensics and financial intelligence analysis.
