Bangladesh’s Criminal Investigation Department has arrested 14 people in an alleged online gambling and betting network that used SIM cards, mobile financial-service and bank accounts, and cryptocurrency platforms to move proceeds abroad.
Four suspects detained in Tangail on Sept. 13 brought the total to 14 after raids connected with the case across five districts, 15M reported. CID’s Cyber Police Centre arrested the four at about 11 p.m. in separate parts of Tangail.
The latest detainees were Bablu Mia, 28, and Md Monir Hossain, 30, of Tangail Sadar upazila, and Nur Safayet Ipti, 24, and Shamim Al Mamun, 29, of Sakhipur. CID said they supplied SIM cards registered in their own names for online betting sites, where the cards were used for deposits and withdrawals. The suspects admitted in preliminary questioning to collecting and supplying agent SIM cards, according to investigators.
CID alleged that the wider network recruited agents to collect SIM cards, mobile financial-service accounts and bank accounts, including accounts registered in other people’s names. Agents retained commissions from betting payments before the remaining money was transferred overseas through bank accounts and cryptocurrency platforms, the agency said.
The network offered wagers on international cricket, football and other sports alongside online casino games, CID said. It advertised those services through social media and other online platforms. As covered in July, betting promotions remained readily available on social media after Bangladesh’s Gambling Prevention Act, 2026 took effect.
The investigation began with a case filed at Paltan Police Station on May 17 under several sections of the Cyber Security Act. CID made three arrests in Tangail on June 7, followed by three in Narsingdi and Narayanganj on June 16, two in Narail on July 12 and two in Rajshahi on Aug. 19.
Mohammad Sufi Ullah, CID’s special superintendent of police for media, said investigators were identifying further participants through technological analysis and intelligence information. The agency said it was continuing to pursue network members, suppliers of agent SIM cards and people involved in the financial transactions, and would continue operations against online gambling, illegal electronic transactions and money laundering.
