Staff Reporter : The Rapid Action Battalion-RAB conducted a drive in Sylhet and arrested four individuals along with counterfeit currency worth more than Tk 500,000.
RAB-9 stated that an unscrupulous syndicate has long been involved in circulating counterfeit money in an attempt to destabilize the country’s economy and defraud ordinary people. The group reportedly becomes especially active during festivals and large public gatherings. With the upcoming holy Eid-ul-Azha approaching, RAB has increased its regular patrols and intelligence surveillance, as in previous years.
As part of this effort, an operational team from RAB-9’s headquaters Company in Sylhet received a tip-off and conducted a raid around 11:45 pm on Tuesday (12 May) at the Shahjalal (R) Shrine Gate area, where they detained a suspicious individual.
Based on information provided by him, another operation was carried out around 1:00 am on Thursday at Hotel Ali (Residential) in the Lalbazar area of the city. There, three more individuals were detained and counterfeit notes worth Tk 502,700 were recovered from the same room. All four were subsequently arrested.
The arrested individuals are: Guru Chandra Bala (38), son of late Thakur Chandra Bala, from Pirer Bari, Kotalipara, Gopalganj, Shafiqul Islam (35), son of Md Habul Mia, from Logarpara, Nalitabari, Sherpur, Md Sohag Sardar (33), son of Abdul Barek Sardar, from Hadi Banshkathi, Babuganj, Barishal and Md Rashed Mia (30), son of Md Kuddus Ali, from Nagarpara, Nalitabari, Sherpur
During interrogation, the suspects revealed shocking details about their methods. They usually targeted crowded markets and small shops, pretending to buy low-cost items while paying with large counterfeit notes, such as Tk 500 or Tk 1,000 bills. Their goal was to receive genuine money as change from the shopkeepers. In this way, they spread counterfeit currency into the market.