BSS
  11 Jul 2025, 15:12

RAB sends letter to SB to deport Nigerian citizen Frank Coco

DHAKA, July 11, 2025 (BSS) – Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has taken initiative to deport a detained Nigerian citizen Frank Coco to his native land for his suspected link to a cyber group that extorted money from the people through fraudulence.

“We sent a letter to the Special Branch (SB) on Wednesday for taking necessary measures to deport Nigerian citizen Frank Coco to his own country as he has long been involved in crimes in Bangladesh,” Major Md Ahnaf of RAB-1 told BSS.  
 
Necessary documents including the case dockets and link of news particularly published in the English dailies that proved his involvement in the crimes during his stay in Bangladesh were also attached to the letter, he said.  

A team of RAB-1 arrested Frank Coco (36) along with another Nigerian citizen Emanuwel (35) and a Bangladeshi female Sweety Akhter (27) in separate raids in the capital’s Pallabi and Mirpur areas on Monday and Tuesday.

Two laptops, four iPhones, three smart mobile phones, three button mobile phones, one tab, and one Orico brand hard drive used in the fraud were seized from their possessions, it also said.

Asked about the measures to deport another Nigerian citizen Emanuwel, the RAB officer said they are yet to confirm how he entered into Bangladesh.

If Emanuwel entered into Bangladesh illegally, he will be deported through legal procedure, he said, adding that the SB will take steps accordingly after verifying whether Emanuwel entered into Bangladesh with tourist visa or illegally.  
 
Maj Ahnaf said Nigeria has no embassy in Bangladesh, the detained Coco entered into Bangladesh with tourist visa via India as the African country has embassy in India.  
   
During the preliminary interrogation, the arrestees confessed that they had been involved in the fraud for long.

The arrested Nigerians Coco and Emanuwel have been involved in the fraud for almost two years. 

Their accomplice Sweety Akhter has been associated with them for the last three months.

Coco was arrested by RAB-10 two years back and again engaged in the misdeed after being released from jail on bail.

In the recent operation, RAB personnel have found around Tk 18 lakh in their Nagad and Bikash accounts, where money is still being deposited based on previously sent messages from different places, said Maj Ahnaf. 

The arrested female member contacted the numbers of various Bangladeshis provided by the local coordinator in Bangladesh for a long time and extorted money from the victims by luring them.

The coordinator gets a share of 10%-15% of the money obtained through fraud.

BSS/SPL/AHJ/MM/AIM/1455 HRS