Student visa scam: Nabil Yusuf Rafi placed on three-day remand
Victims allegedly lost Tk3.10 crore collectively.
A Dhaka court today (5 August) placed accused Nabil Yusuf Rafi on a three-day remand in a case filed over embezzling crores of Taka by promising to send students abroad on student visas.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Kamal Uddin passed the order this afternoon following a petition filed by the police, confirmed Public Prosecutor Omar Faruq Faruqi.
According to the remand application, crucial information regarding the operation of the fraud ring, the method of embezzling money, the identities of other individuals involved, the actual number of victims and the embezzled funds could be obtained by interrogating the accused.
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Furthermore, allegations of defrauding many other people using the same tactic need to be verified during the investigation. Therefore, a seven-day police remand is required to interrogate the accused for a proper investigation of the case. The defence lawyers pleaded for the cancellation of the remand and prayed for bail. This was opposed by the prosecution.
After hearing both sides, the court granted a three-day remand for the accused. Earlier, the police of Uttara East Police Station under the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) produced the accused before the court and sought a seven-day remand. Earlier, Rafi was arrested on 4 August from the East Rajabazar area of Farmgate in the capital. He is a resident of the Satbhaiyapara area of Sonargaon upazila in Narayanganj.
According to the case statement, representatives of an organisation named "Visa Guide" collected a large amount of money from multiple individuals, including the plaintiff Zarin Tasnim, by promising to send them abroad on student visas. The accused collected approximately Tk3 crore 10 lakh 50 thousand from a total of 36 people, including the plaintiff and issued cheques and receipts to the victims. However, he failed to send anyone abroad within the stipulated time and did not refund the money, reads the case statement.
The complaint further states that on 5 July, when the victims visited the office of the organisation, they learned that it had relocated from the premises.
