Bangladesh freezes 14,000 more mobile accounts over alleged use for online gambling
The action brings the total number of accounts targeted in the past month to around 24,000.
Bangladesh.- The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has reported that it has begun freezing approximately 14,000 additional mobile financial service (MFS) accounts suspected of being used for online gambling and digital transactions. The latest action follows the freezing of 10,000 MFS accounts a few weeks ago, bringing the total number of accounts blocked over the past month to around 24,000.
According to a senior BFIU official, authorities acted after receiving intelligence from another government agency. Investigators have also identified key individuals linked to the networks and forwarded the information to the relevant authorities for action. The BFIU said it is also working to prevent users whose accounts were frozen from opening new MFS accounts using their national identity cards.
Alongside the enforcement measures, Bangladesh Bank, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and mobile financial services provider bKash have launched a nationwide public awareness campaign highlighting the legal and financial risks associated with online gambling, with a particular focus on younger users.
