Mohammad Ali Mia, Chief of the Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID), responded to queries regarding Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hasan’s online gambling advertisement seen on social media platform Facebook.

Speaking at the CID office on Sunday during a presentation on challenges related to controlling illegal money transfers through online gambling and mobile apps, Ali Mia emphasised adherence to the law without targeting specific individuals.

Speaking on Sunday, at the CID office, he made this statement in reference to the research report titled “Challenges in controlling illegal money transfer through online gambling and mobile applications.”

Highlighting the country’s struggle with over 6,500 gambling platforms and a lack of specific legislation, Ali Miah stressed the urgent need for comprehensive laws to regulate online gambling.

“We must enact laws to control online gambling to prevent various online crimes, including money laundering, from increasing,” he asserted, urging action from the law ministry and stakeholders.

Ali Mia underscored the importance of regulating mobile banking institutions and operators, citing challenges in tracking the sources of e-money, which has been implicated in several cases.

He called for concerted efforts involving the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and other agencies to combat online crimes effectively, warning against the difficulty of addressing such issues with isolated efforts.