Following the arrest of six Chinese nationals in a raid over allegations of online financial fraud in Cox’s Bazar, police are searching for a massive group of Chinese and Taiwanese suspects involved in the scheme.

The list of accused in the case filed by police on Thursday night names 10 suspects, including six people arrested from Hotel Sea Palace in the district town. In addition, 250 to 300 unidentified Chinese and Taiwanese nationals have been listed as unnamed suspects.

The six arrestees were sent to jail through a court on Friday, said Ramu Police Station chief AK Fazul Haque.

Police claim that many members of the fraud group are staying at different hotels in Cox's Bazar after a police raid on a resort in Ramu’s Himchari on Aug 26. An operation is underway to identify and arrest them.

According to the police statement, many of the Chinese and Taiwanese nationals entered Bangladesh at different times since Mar 1 with visas on arrival. Investigations have revealed that they started renting out several resorts from April.

Police officer Fazul told bdnews24.com that six people have been arrested so far from the group and efforts are underway to arrest the others.

According to him, the other members of the group escaped separately after noticing the police operation, and took up residence at various hotels in Cox's Bazar.

Information on Stay in Three Hotels

Recently, bdnews24.com received information about Chinese nationals staying in groups in at least three hotels in Cox's Bazar.

The authorities of Hotel Royal Pearl in the Sugandha area said that at least 20 Chinese citizens have stayed there in the past month.

A group of seven of them checked into the hotel on Aug 27 and stayed until Sept 1, the authorities said.

This means a group of Chinese citizens took up residence in the Cox’s Bazar hotel the day after the police operation in Himchari on Aug 26.

Another hotel, Sand City, near Sugandha, also reported a similar group’s arrival.

According to hotel authorities, a group of about 20 people arrived there on Aug 25. They stayed for a day and later asked for an extension, but the hotel could not accommodate them as it was already booked.

The authorities at Hotel Sea Palace in Cox's Bazar said that a group of Chinese nationals arrived there on Aug 26. Police arrested six members of the group on Thursday night.

When the police statement was compared with information provided by the hotel authorities, it was discovered that several groups of Chinese nationals were visiting different hotels in Cox's Bazar in the last week of August.

However, it is not yet clear whether each person staying in these hotels was involved in the same crime.

Where Did the Operation Start?

Police said that around 250 to 300 Chinese and Taiwanese nationals were staying in several resorts and residential establishments in the Himchari area of Ramu and the Inani-Marine Drive area of Ukhiya.

The statement said that some of them had been renting out the resorts for a long time and was arranging their stay in their own way.

Citing intelligence investigations, police said that a computer lab and a soundproof room were set up in a large hall room of the Marina Beach Villa Resort in Himchari. A large number of iPhones, computers and other electronic equipment were being used there.

A team of police and intelligence officers raided the resort on Aug 26.

Police said that some of the Chinese and Taiwanese nationals staying there, noticing the raid, fled through the open beach area behind the resort.

Police said that they recovered 1,938 iPhones, 50 monitors, 44 CPUs, 30 keyboards, two laptops, two printers, 40 computer mice, an IPS, 24 connection boards and various equipment from a blocked hall room of the resort during the raid.

The complaint also states that a Chinese police rank badge, a tie with a police logo and a Chinese national flag were also found.

Police said that a three-member delegation from the Chinese embassy visited the scene after the equipment was recovered during a raid at the Marina Beach Villa Resort in Himchhari.

Resort Rental with False Information

The police investigation documents have charged the group with online financial fraud.

The complaint states that this gang of Chinese and Taiwanese citizens were able to commit fraud using artificial intelligence-based technology, fake profiles and cloned or fake trading platform logos.

However, the same document states that forensic examination of the evidence found at the scene is needed. As a result, police said that there is no way to reach a definite conclusion on how the fraud was conducted, who was defrauded, and how much money was taken until the investigation is completed.

Police say that a section of foreign nationals rented the resort on the pretext of establishing a construction company in Bangladesh. However, the statement claims that no construction company under the name was found during the verification.

Four More Named Suspects

Along with the six arrested, the case mentions four more absconding accused.

They are Zhan Yuan Fan alias Babar Ali, Pai Lading, Wu Zhiping and Jian Zhang. Police said that an operation is underway to arrest them.