A Dhaka court has ordered the freezing of 445 bank accounts allegedly used in online gambling and cyber fraud.
Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md. Sabbir Foyez issued the order on Monday following a petition filed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police.
Bench Assistant of the concerned court, Md. Riaz Hossain, said CID Additional Special Superintendent of Police Suman Kumar Saha submitted the application seeking to freeze the accounts.
According to the petition, former City Bank PLC official Sheikh Md. Wazih Uddin reportedly deposited a total of Tk 51,12,000 in five accounts after being deceived online.
The application further states that records show nearly Tk 12.12 billion deposited and about Tk 12.07 billion withdrawn through 595 bank accounts operated in the names of SM Junaidul Haque, Omar Hith Hitlu, Mehedi Hasan Talukdar, and 61 other individuals, as well as institutions linked to their interests.
A review of the transactions indicates that the accounts were connected to fraud, online gaming, betting or gambling in cyberspace, hundi operations, domestic and foreign currency laundering, cryptocurrency trading, and customs duty evasion.
The CID told the court that freezing the funds in these accounts was urgently necessary.
