‘Jinn’ Scam Promising Doubled Gold Leads to Four Arrests

Police in Bhola have arrested four alleged members of an organised fraud ring accused of deceiving people with promises that their gold jewellery could be magically doubled by summoning a ‘jinn’.

The four were arrested on Monday afternoon, 27 July, by police from Dularhat Police Station in Char Fasson upazila. Police said gold jewellery and cash allegedly obtained through the fraud were recovered during the operation.

According to police and victims, the incident began on the morning of 4 February at the home of Yanur Begum in Mokbul Munshir Bari, Ward 5 of Nurabad under Dularhat police station. The alleged fraudsters reportedly claimed that they could summon a jinn through supernatural means and use it to double the amount of gold jewellery handed over to them.

Seventeen local women were allegedly persuaded to trust the group and handed over jewellery of various weights. In total, the group reportedly collected 10 bhori and 11 ana of gold jewellery, with an estimated market value of around Tk 1.546 million. After obtaining the jewellery, the alleged fraudsters reportedly left the area quickly and went into hiding.

The victims later realised that they had been deceived and informed the authorities. Police subsequently began efforts to identify and locate those allegedly involved in the scheme.

The investigation took a new turn on the afternoon of 27 July, when the alleged fraud ring reportedly returned to the Nurabad Ward 5 area with the intention of carrying out another fraud. Some of the local victims recognised them and, according to police, managed to detain four members of the group by using a strategy to prevent them from escaping.

After receiving the information, a team from Dularhat Police Station went to the area and took the four individuals into police custody. They were subsequently shown as arrested in connection with the case.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Mosammat Ruma, 30, daughter of the late Abdul Latif of Nurabad; Mosammat Mukta, 26, daughter of Nagar Chowkidar; Md Swapan Farazi, 50, son of the late Abdul Latif Farazi; and Md Alamin, 26, son of Swapan Farazi.

Police said further searches were conducted based on information obtained during questioning of the arrested suspects. The operation resulted in the recovery of a pair of gold bangles, weighing four bhori and 12 ana including the fittings, with an estimated value of around Tk 150,000. A pair of gold earrings weighing 12 ana and three ratti was also recovered, along with Tk 52,000 in cash.

However, the original information provided by the authorities contains inconsistencies in the conversion of the recovered jewellery weights into grams. The figures given in grams do not appear to correspond with the stated traditional measurements of bhori, ana and ratti. The precise weight and value of the recovered jewellery would therefore need to be verified through official assessment.

A case has been filed at Dularhat Police Station under Sections 406 and 420 of the Penal Code, based on a written complaint submitted by one of the victims. The sections relate to criminal breach of trust and cheating.

Dularhat Police Station officer-in-charge Yasin Alam Chowdhury said legal action had been taken against the arrested suspects. Police operations are continuing to locate other alleged members of the group who remain at large and to recover the rest of the jewellery allegedly taken from the victims.

The case also highlights the risks posed by fraud schemes that exploit people’s trust in supernatural claims and promises of quick financial gain. Criminal groups involved in such schemes may use elaborate stories and persuasive tactics to convince victims to hand over valuable possessions.

Police are expected to investigate whether the four arrested individuals were acting alone or as part of a wider network, and whether other people may have been targeted in similar incidents. The investigation will also seek to establish the whereabouts of the remaining jewellery and identify any other suspects allegedly connected with the operation.

The allegations against the arrested individuals will be subject to investigation and judicial proceedings. They are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.