A 22-year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly swindling a businessman out of Tk24.19 lakh through a fraudulent online job and investment scheme using a fake website modelled on a Dutch company, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said.
The accused, Priyanti Sarkar Chitra, was arrested from Sector 18 in Uttara, Dhaka, around 11pm on Thursday (8 October), said Md Sufi Ullah, special superintendent of police (media) at the CID.
Six other people have already been arrested in the case, four of whom have reportedly given confessional statements before a court, he added.
According to the CID, the group contacted the businessman through Telegram in August 2025, offering him an online part-time job with daily earnings of Tk800 to Tk2,500.
The work involved rating tourist attractions and providing feedback through a website falsely modelled on a Dutch company.
After initially paying the businessman for completing the tasks, the group added him to a Telegram group where members promoted investment opportunities offering attractive returns on amounts ranging from Tk1 lakh to Tk10 lakh.
Enticed by the promised returns, the businessman initially invested Tk1 lakh. The group subsequently persuaded him to send more money, citing requirements to complete a specified number of website visits, participate in different rounds and fulfil other conditions, the CID said.
The group collected Tk24,19,199 from him through various bank accounts and digital transactions, according to investigators.
However, the promised profits never materialised, and the businessman did not recover his principal investment. The suspects instead demanded additional payments before eventually cutting off communication with him, the CID said.
The businessman filed a case with Paltan Police Station through a court on 1 November 2025.
The CID said the group used social media and online platforms to attract victims with offers of easy earnings and high investment returns before taking their money.
The investigation is underway.
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