Man posing as female soldier, swindling expatriate of Tk7 lakh arrested

Police on 20 September arrested a man for allegedly posing as a female Bangladesh Army member on Facebook to deceive an expatriate living in Italy, develop a romantic relationship, and swindle him of around Tk7 lakh.

The accused, Tofayel Alam Titu, 35, of Paikpara in Mirpur, used a Facebook account named “Lady Soldier/Female Warrior," where he uploaded photos of a woman wearing a Bangladesh Army uniform.

He spoke to the victim, Shahadat Khan, 22, in a feminine voice during phone and IMO calls to convince him that he was a female. After establishing the relationship, Titu obtained around Tk7 lakh from Shahadat and his mother through bKash and Nagad, using various tactics, according to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI).

Shahadat and his mother, originally from the Keraniganj Model police station area, later realised the deception and initially filed a CR case.

During the investigation, PBI’s Dhaka District unit found evidence of the alleged fraud and collected the transaction records, and a case was filed with Keraniganj Model police station on 10 September, leading to Titu’s arrest.

PBI said it recovered three mobile phones and SIM cards linked to the bKash and Nagad accounts.

During interrogation, Titu allegedly confessed to the fraud and later made a confessional statement before a court.

PBI said its investigation suggests that Titu may have similarly deceived several other people in Bangladesh and abroad by posing as a woman and claiming to be a female Bangladesh Army member.

The reporter can be reached at [email protected]