A fraud ring has been allegedly calling the parents of students at Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, posing as police and Detective Branch (DB) officers and threatening them with fabricated criminal allegations to extort money.
Three such incidents using the same method have come to light in July, causing concern among students and their families.
On July 29, while a midterm examination was underway in the Department of Finance and Banking, a student switched off his mobile phone in accordance with university rules.
Taking advantage of the student being unreachable, fraudsters reportedly called his father and identified themselves as police officers. They claimed that his son had been arrested with drugs.
After making various threats, the fraudsters allegedly convinced the father to send Tk 40,000 through bKash.
The incident was later brought to the attention of students and parents through a Facebook post by University Assistant Proctor Tarikul Islam Jony, who urged everyone to remain cautious.
The following day, on July 30, the same group allegedly attempted another scam.
This time, the fraudsters reportedly called the mother of a female student and introduced themselves as DB police officers. They claimed that her daughter had been detained from a residential hotel.
To make the story appear credible, they allegedly threatened the woman with social humiliation and played the sound of a crying woman over the phone, claiming it was her daughter.
However, having learned about the previous day's incident, the mother did not immediately send the money. She contacted family members and other relevant people to verify the information and consequently avoided a major financial loss.
A student of the 2023–24 academic session in the Department of Film and Media Studies, who requested anonymity, said his family had faced a similar scam on July 7.
According to the student, fraudsters called his father and claimed that his son had been arrested with cannabis. They allegedly demanded Tk 2,000 through bKash, saying the payment would help resolve the matter.
Unable to contact his son immediately, the father became frightened and sent the money to the number provided by the fraudsters.
He later contacted his son and discovered that the entire incident was a planned scam.
Following the three incidents, concern among students has increased. Many have also taken to social media to warn their families, relatives and acquaintances about such fraudulent calls.
Students have raised questions about how the fraudsters are obtaining students' personal information, parents' phone numbers and even examination schedules.
Some students suspect that information may have been leaked from somewhere, although there is currently no evidence to substantiate the claim.
They have called for a thorough investigation to determine how the fraudsters obtained the information and to identify those involved.
University Assistant Proctor Tarikul Islam Jony advised students and parents not to panic if they receive suspicious calls.
“If you receive such a call from an unknown number, do not panic under any circumstances. Before sending money, contact the concerned student, their classmates, department or university administration and verify the information,” he said.
He added that the parent who lost money in the first incident formally reported the matter to the university on July 31.
The university administration has since contacted senior officials of the Mymensingh District Police regarding the incident. It is also taking steps to alert students and parents on campus.
The university administration and law enforcement agencies have urged everyone to remain vigilant against such scams.
Anyone receiving a suspicious call has been advised to immediately contact the concerned student, university administration or the nearest law enforcement agency rather than sending money or sharing personal information.
