Police have arrested a man at Patiya of Chattogram on charges of fraud and extortion by using the names of the Home Minister and other high-ranking state officials.
The information was revealed by Additional DIG (Crime) Nazmul Hasan at a press conference organized by Chattogram District Police on Sunday.
The accused Riyad Bin Selim (40) was arrested from his residence in the Paikpara area under Patiya Municipality during a raid conducted around 2 am on Saturday night.
According to police, Riyad is the son of the late Md. Selim Uddin of the same area. He had long been accused of engaging in fraud and extortion by exploiting the names of top state officials.
During the arrest, police recovered a fake ID card labeled “CSF Chairperson’s Security Force,” along with a metal detector, walkie-talkie sets, a signal light, a monitoring cell card, a walkie-talkie–like mobile phone, and a button phone.
Police said Riyad used social media to post fabricated images showing his alleged connections with ministers and other high-profile individuals to mislead people. These images are initially believed to have been generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
He is also accused of influence peddling by using a fake identity linked to the protocol wing of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
In one case, he allegedly took 215,300 taka from the wife of an accused named Kamrul Hasan, promising to secure bail for her husband.
Nazmul Hasan said that analysis of the suspect’s mobile phone revealed evidence of multiple fraud cases, including collecting large sums of money by promising jobs. He also allegedly carried out scams using fake parcel delivery information.
Police added that Riyad faces multiple cases, including charges related to rape and narcotics.
