Dhaka: Law enforcers detained three City Bank officials and a reported Poland national in several drives in Gulshan area on Sunday evening over the ATM scam in Dhaka in which miscreants withdrew money from the booths by using duplicate cards.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner Mohammad Monirul Islam confirmed the arrest at a press conference at DMP media centre at about 12:00noon on Monday.

The detainees are Poland citizen Piotr Szczepan Mazurek, and three officials of City Bank–Moksed Alam Maksud, Rezaul Karim Shahin, and Refaz Ahmed Rony.

Police also seized a passport and a German government approved identity card from their possession.

The arrestee were held during a drive conducted by a team of DMP detectives and Crime Information Department (North) officials, said the additional commissioner.

Monirul Islam said Piotr claimed though he was born in Ukrain, he is a German citizen.

He entered Bangladesh by using a fake name, Piotr, after he found a passport in that name.

The police official added, an international syndicate might be involved with the swindle.

He said the global crime syndicate based on East Europe, mainly Romania, Bulgaria, Ukrain, and Poland, is active in several countries of Europe, Africa, and Asia continents.

Piotr planned the whole con with his Bangladeshi associate, who stays in London, and a Bulgarian and a Ukrainian workmates.

Earlier on 12 February, the authorities of the United Commercial Bank (UCB) filed a case with Banani Police station as at least Tk 1.26 lakh was misappropriated through ATM card forgery recently.

On 13 February, the Bangladesh Bank asked several banks to block around 200 ATM cards believed to have been read by ‘skimming devices’ during 7-9 February.

On 17 February, the DB claimed that a citizen of an Eastern European country was suspected to be involved in the ATM card forgery as they had identified the faces of around 5 foreigners from video footage.