Fake Journalist arrested in Faridpur for Extortion using Army name

The Bangladesh Army has arrested a man posing as both an army official and a journalist while extorting money in Faridpur city.

The suspect, Md Arif Sheikh, 39, was caught red-handed on Thursday night (January 22) in the Kishanhat area of Goalchamat. After his arrest, he was handed over to Faridpur Kotwali Police Station, where a fraud case was filed under the Special Act.

In a press release issued on Friday morning, the Faridpur Army Camp said the arrest followed complaints that a man was collecting money from local residents by falsely claiming to represent the Bangladesh Army.

Acting on the information, a joint team from the 15 Riverine Engineer Battalion and local police conducted a raid around 9:30pm and arrested Arif at the scene.

During questioning, Arif claimed to be a correspondent of a newspaper and later admitted that he had been harassing people by using a false identity. The army said he is a resident of the Goalchamat area. Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Shahidul Islam said a cheating case has been filed against Arif for impersonating an army official. Legal procedures are underway to produce him before the court.

Earlier, in a separate operation on Wednesday (January 21), the army arrested another fake journalist, Md Zahir Molya, 41, along with firearms. He was later sent to jail after a case was filed against him under the Arms Act.

According to law enforcement sources, both Arif Sheikh and Zahir Molya are linked to a local criminal group operating in Faridpur.