Police have arrested a man accused of running a Facebook scam that lured customers with attractive advertisements for hilsa fish. Investigators said he collected advance payments from buyers before cutting off contact, using the scheme to defraud people for nearly three years.

The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested Md Anik Sheikh, 21, during a raid in Amtala (Purba Para) area under Kalia upazila in Narail on Tuesday afternoon.

According to CTTC, Anik allegedly used Facebook pages to advertise hilsa fish and various other products at attractive prices.

After potential buyers expressed interest, they were asked to continue the conversation on WhatsApp, where they were instructed to send Tk550 as packaging charges before making additional payments under different pretexts.

The suspect would then sever all communication without delivering the promised products, police said.

A case has been filed against him with Pallabi Police Station under the Cyber Security Ordinance.

Investigators said they identified the suspect through intelligence inputs and technical analysis during the investigation before carrying out the arrest.

During the raid, police seized four mobile phones, eight SIM cards and information related to Facebook and WhatsApp accounts, as well as mobile financial service (MFS) accounts allegedly used in the fraud.

During preliminary interrogation, Anik admitted his involvement in the scam, CTTC said. Investigators believe he and his associates had been using the same method to defraud people across the country for about three years.

Police said efforts are underway to identify and arrest other members of the alleged fraud network, while legal proceedings against the suspect are continuing.

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