Education consultancy owner, 2 others arrested over Tk15.5cr overseas study scam
Three were sent to court and 7-day remand hearing scheduled for 16 July
Police have arrested three people, including the owner of Just Thought Education Consultant, on charges of defrauding students of large sums of money by luring them with promises of higher education abroad.
The main accused, Md Matiur Rahman, 48, allegedly operated five visa processing agencies and swindled Tk15.5 crore from 350 students and their families, police said.
The two other arrestees are his wife, Rabeya Khatun Tania, and his brother-in-law, Saidur Rahman.
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Bhatara Police arrested them from Matiur's residence in Sector 4 of Uttara around 12:30am yesterday, hours before he was due to board a 2:30am flight to Australia.
"He (Matiur) had already packed his bags for the trip. We arrested him before he could leave," said Assistant Commissioner of Police (Badda Zone) Md Asaduzzaman of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
According to police, Matiur ran five agencies – Just Thought Education Consultant, Go Visa, Visa Guide, Global Visa Station and Immigration Expert – through which he allegedly collected money from students seeking overseas higher education before defrauding them.
Police recovered cheques from several banks, Tk3,39 lakh in cash and 50 Australian dollars. ACP Asaduzzaman said Matiur is accused of embezzling around Tk15.5 crore from approximately 350 victims through the five agencies.
He is facing one fraud case at Bhatara Police Station and two fraud cases at Uttara East Police Station.
The three accused were produced before a Dhaka court, where police sought a seven-day remand for interrogation. The hearing on the remand petition is scheduled for 16 July.
Following news of the arrests, victims gathered outside the police station. The arrests came a day after students and their parents staged a protest in the capital, demanding legal action against the consultant.
The protesters claimed the consultancy had scammed nearly 300 students. Carrying banners and placards reading "Justice is our right", "We demand justice for shattered dreams" and "End this fraud", they demanded swift action against those responsible.
During the protest, one student broke down while recounting the family's experience, saying they had mortgaged their only piece of land and sold gold jewellery to raise nearly Tk20 lakh for the consultancy. The payment was meant to secure an opportunity to study abroad.
Instead, the consultancy allegedly closed its office and went into hiding, leaving the student and family facing severe financial hardship and uncertainty.
