Bangladesh Probe Traces 600-Member Network With Gambling Links
Bangladesh investigators are examining a foreign-led network of around 600 people linked to online gambling, cyber fraud and other alleged schemes. The group is estimated to have transacted around Tk10 crore ($812,000) a day across several parts of the country.
The Business Standard reported on September 23, citing investigators, that the network operated in Chattogram, Dhaka, Cox’s Bazar, Cumilla and Brahmanbaria. Investigators believe it had about 600 members at different stages and had been active since December 2025.
Investigators estimate that more than Tk1,000 crore ($81.2 million) was laundered over that period, using the Bangladesh Bank exchange rate for September 23. The daily transaction figure is less certain. TBS said the Tk10 crore estimate has not yet been verified against financial records.
63 Foreign Nationals Were Arrested in Chattogram
The investigation widened after 63 foreign nationals were arrested during a raid on an eight-storey building in West Khulshi, Chattogram. Police recovered 56 laptops, 128 smartphones, a desktop computer, other electronic equipment and a Starlink router. Investigators say the wider network also used specialised devices able to connect hundreds of SIM cards at the same time.
At least 40 of those devices were allegedly deployed across the network. Police suspect they were used to process large volumes of mobile financial service transactions.
The gambling part was not limited to payment handling. Investigators identified PK666 as one of the online gambling apps connected to the case. They also traced an earlier operation in Dhaka that allegedly ran a live online casino from a rented floor in Uttara.
That operation was estimated to handle Tk4-5 crore ($325,000-$406,000) in transactions per day.
Tk10 Crore a Day Needs a Separate Read
The Tk10 crore daily figure and the Tk1,000+ crore laundering estimate measure different things. A rough check using 270 days as a nine-month benchmark puts Tk10 crore a day at around Tk2,700 crore ($219.2 million) in transaction flow, well above the stated Tk1,000+ crore laundering estimate.
It does not make the two figures contradictory. The first number is an estimate of transactions moving through the network and remains unverified. The second is how much investigators believe was laundered during the period.
SIM Hardware Sat Behind MFS Payments
Investigators are also looking at the local infrastructure around the foreign group. Local facilitators allegedly helped arrange rented properties, bank accounts, trade licences, SIM cards, transport, documents and security. Some bank accounts were reportedly opened using false trade licences.
Police are now examining seized devices, financial transactions, immigration records, rental documents and internet activity. They are also trying to establish whether the Chattogram operation was an isolated hub or part of a coordinated transnational network.