Dhaka, September 11, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Bangladesh police detained at least 70 people, including Chinese, Pakistani and Vietnamese nationals, during a raid on a building in the Khulshi area of Chattogram over suspected involvement in online scams and gambling, according to local media reports.
The operation began on Thursday night and continued for several hours at a building reportedly rented by the group. Police seized laptops, mobile phones and other electronic devices during the raid.
Khulshi Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Abdur Rahim told The Daily Star that the foreign nationals had rented the entire building. He said many of those detained claimed they had entered Bangladesh around six weeks ago using visas on arrival.
Police are examining whether the detainees had valid passports and visas and whether any of them were staying in Bangladesh for employment. Their identities, nationalities and alleged connections to the activities at the premises are also being verified.
Times of Bangladesh, citing a source familiar with the operation, reported that law enforcement agencies had earlier received information about frequent movements of foreign nationals, substantial financial transactions and alleged casino-like activities at the premises. Police have not officially confirmed these allegations.
The Chattogram operation comes days after police arrested six people, including five Chinese nationals and one Taiwanese national, following a raid on a hotel in Cox’s Bazar. Investigators suspect the facility was linked to a major organised cyber-fraud operation.
The six suspects were reportedly charged with online fraud and cybercrime and sent to jail after being produced before a Cox’s Bazar court on September 4.
That operation resulted in the seizure of nearly 2,000 iPhones, dozens of laptops and desktop computers, and a specially designed facility allegedly used to operate hundreds of online identities.
According to The Daily Star, police believe around 250 to 300 other people, mainly Chinese and Taiwanese nationals, remain at large. Several are reportedly wanted fugitives suspected of organising the network.
The Cox’s Bazar case has also prompted concerns over whether Bangladesh could emerge as another base for transnational cyber-fraud networks. While there is currently insufficient evidence to suggest that Bangladesh has developed a scam ecosystem on the scale of Cambodia or Myanmar, the case has highlighted vulnerabilities that could make such networks difficult to contain if they become established.
These vulnerabilities reportedly include relatively easy entry for foreign nationals, limited monitoring of rented properties, gaps in cybercrime investigation capabilities and the availability of local facilitators.
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