Man held over Tk 1.6m fake Italy job promise

Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have arrested a man for allegedly taking Tk 1.6 million from a young man by falsely promising to send him to Italy through legal channels.

The arrestee is Tota Mal (62).

A team of RAB-10 arrested Tota Mal during a raid in the capital's Mir Hazaribagh area on Thursday night after a case was filed against him and several others.

He hails from Bajeharchar area under Shibchar upazila of Madaripur district.

RAB-10 said Tota Mal took Tk 1.6 million from the family of Md Tamim on the promise of sending him to Italy through legal channels.

Instead of being sent to Italy, the young man was allegedly taken to India and then Sri Lanka before being handed over to a criminal syndicate in Kenya.

RAB-10 said Tota Mal later demanded an additional Tk 0.5 million from the victim's family, claiming the money was needed to secure the young man's release from the syndicate.

The family subsequently paid Tk 0.3 million, but the young man was still unable to return to Bangladesh.

RAB-10 said Tota Mal allegedly took Tk 1.6 million from the family of Md Tamim on November 28, 2024, promising to arrange his legal migration to Italy.

Md Tamim's mother filed a case with Shibchar Police Station on March 15, 2026, under the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act.

Following an application by the investigating officer, RAB-10 launched intelligence surveillance to trace the accused.

Senior Assistant Police Superintendent (Media) of RAB-10 Tapan Sarcar said Tota Mal was eventually tracked down using information technology (IT). He was later handed over to Shibchar Police Station for further legal action.

talhabinhabib@yahoo.com