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A court in Cox’s Bazar on Monday granted three days’ remand to six Chinese nationals arrested in a case filed over alleged online fraud and cybercrime.
Senior Judicial Magistrate SM Gias Uddin passed the order after a hearing. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had sought five days’ remand for each of the accused.
Public prosecutor Shaukat Osman said investigators needed to question the accused and analyse data from the digital devices seized from them. The court granted three days’ remand.
Defence lawyer Abdul Mannan said the actual facts should be established through a proper investigation and urged authorities to consider whether the accused had entered Bangladesh for legitimate purposes.
The six accused were produced before the court from Cox’s Bazar Jail in the morning and were later taken into CID custody following the remand hearing.
CID Inspector and investigating officer Abul Kalam said the agency had sought five days’ remand for questioning, but the court granted three days.
According to the case documents, police arrested the six Chinese nationals from Hotel Sea Palace in Cox’s Bazar town on Sept 4. They allegedly seized 1,938 iPhones, at least 30 laptops and various other digital devices and communication equipment from their possession.
Police said the hotel raid was conducted based on a complaint filed with Ramu Police Station and information provided by Dhaka police. A case was later filed with Ramu Police Station against the six over alleged online fraud and cybercrime, and the investigation was subsequently transferred to the CID.
Police also said they had found information suggesting that a group of several hundred Chinese and Taiwanese nationals had been staying at several hotels along Marine Drive in Cox’s Bazar and was allegedly involved in online fraud. The allegation is under investigation.
Investigators are examining data from the suspects’ mobile phones, laptops and other digital devices to verify their alleged involvement in cybercrime, including their online communications and financial transactions.