Authorities Dismantle Major Telegram Fraud Network with Eight Arrests Including Five Chinese Nationals
Bangladeshi authorities have arrested eight individuals, including five Chinese nationals, suspected of operating a sophisticated Telegram-based fraud network that utilized more than 51,000 SIM cards and 21 VoIP gateway devices to conduct online scams across the capital Dhaka.
The operation, led by the Detective Branch's Cyber and Special Crime Division, represents one of the largest fraud network dismantlements in recent months, highlighting the growing challenge of transnational cybercrime facilitated by encrypted messaging platforms.
Background and Context
The arrests follow an investigation into increasingly prevalent Telegram-based scams targeting Bangladeshi citizens through fraudulent job offers, investment schemes promising high returns, and advertisements for essential goods at suspiciously low prices. Such operations have proliferated globally as criminals exploit encrypted messaging services to reach large audiences while evading detection.
The scale of this particular network—with over 51,000 SIM cards recovered—demonstrates the industrialized nature of modern cybercrime operations, where criminal organizations establish substantial technical infrastructure before targeting victims through psychological manipulation tactics.
Key Figures and Entities
Those arrested include Chinese nationals Chen Ling Feng, Zeng Kong, Zeng Changqiang, Wen Jian Qiu, and Huang Zheng Jiang, alongside Bangladeshi accomplices Mohammad Zakaria (26), Niaz Masum (20), and Kamrul Hasan alias Hasan Joy (38). The international composition of the group illustrates the borderless nature of contemporary cybercrime networks.
The operation was conducted by the Web-Based Crime Investigation Team of the Detective Branch's Cyber and Special Crime (North) Division, whose investigation traced the syndicate's activities across multiple locations in Dhaka's Bashundhara and Uttara West areas.
Legal and Financial Mechanisms
Investigators discovered that the syndicate employed 21 VoIP gateway devices—14 seized from Bashundhara and seven from Uttara West—alongside 51,251 SIM cards from various mobile operators, 51 mobile phones, five laptops, and computer equipment. This infrastructure enabled the fraudsters to send massive volumes of fraudulent messages while masking their true identities and locations.
According to Deputy Commissioner Hasan Mohammad Naser Rikabdar, who disclosed details at a press briefing, the technical setup allowed the network to create multiple fraudulent identities simultaneously, overwhelm potential victims with communications, and rapidly switch between phone numbers to avoid detection by telecommunications providers or law enforcement.
International Implications and Policy Response
The presence of five Chinese nationals in the operation highlights the increasingly transnational character of cybercrime syndicates, which often establish operations in countries with developing regulatory frameworks while targeting victims worldwide. This case underscores the challenges faced by national law enforcement agencies in combating borderless criminal networks that exploit technological and jurisdictional gaps.
According to cybercrime experts, such Telegram-based operations typically involve sophisticated money laundering mechanisms to transfer illicit funds across borders, making recovery of victims' money particularly challenging. The seizure of substantial technical infrastructure, however, provides investigators with valuable data that could lead to the identification of accomplices and further networks operating in the region.
Sources
This report draws on official information disclosed by Deputy Commissioner Hasan Mohammad Naser Rikabdar of the Detective Branch's Cyber and Special Crime (North) Division during a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre. Details include operational data from police raids conducted Thursday and Monday in Dhaka's Bashundhara Residential Area and Sector 9 of Uttara West Police Station area.
