Morelganj (Bagerhat) Correspondent

A syndicate has been accused of defrauding nearly half a crore taka by luring people with false promises of overseas jobs. In response, three affected families have held a press conference at the Morelganj Upazila Press Club.

The press conference took place on Tuesday at 11 AM, where Runu Begum from Ward 5 of Morelganj Municipality, Md. Nasir Akon from Indurkani, Pirojpur, and Md. Sohel from Ward 4 of Morelganj Municipality shared their heart-wrenching experiences of being deceived.

Runu Begum stated that the fraudsters took Tk 11.45 lakh from her in stages, promising her son a job in Italy. Initially, they took Tk 1 lakh for visa processing, followed by another Tk 10 lakh under the pretext of confirming the visa. Eventually, her son was handed a fake visa, which the embassy later identified as fraudulent, leading to his passport being seized.

With tears in her eyes, Runu Begum said, "I gave them all my savings and borrowed money. Now they refuse to return the money and are even threatening me. I demand strict punishment for these fraudsters and the return of my hard-earned money."

Another victim, Nasir Akon, revealed that the fraudsters took Tk 13 lakh from him in installments, promising him a job in Italy. When the visa turned out to be fake, he demanded his money back, but the scammers kept delaying with excuses. Later, they cut off communication and even threatened to kill him.

Victim Sohel stated that the fraudsters took Tk 5.8 lakh from him under the pretense of sending him to Italy. However, when he demanded his money back, they resorted to intimidation.

The victims reported that despite submitting multiple complaints to local representatives and various administrative offices, they have yet to receive any justice. Left with no alternative, they turned to the press for help.

They urged the authorities to bring the fraudsters to justice and recover their lost money.