The Criminal Investigation Department-CID has arrested eight people, including a medical college student, on charges of coercing young women into the sex trade by falsely offering jobs, talent hunts, or modelling opportunities through social media platforms.

At a press conference at the CID headquarters on Wednesday, its Chief Mohammad Ali Mia said the gang's leader, 25-year-old medical student Mehedi Hasan orchestrated the operation.

Mehedi’s cousin, Sheikh Zahid Bin Sujon, who was also arrested, assisted him in establishing the ring.

Other arrestees are Zahid Hasan aka Kakon, Tanvir Ahmed aka Dipto, Syed Hasibur Rahman, Shadat Al Muiz, Susmita Akter aka Poppy, and Naina Islam.

The arrests took place in Jashore, Satkhira, Chandpur, and Dhaka on Tuesday.

The criminal gang allegedly recorded and sold videos of these women, earning “billions of taka” both domestically and internationally, claimed the CID.

The CID chief said, "They lured young women through attractive job ads, modelling opportunities, and talent hunts on Facebook and Telegram."

"They held 'talent hunts' to lure victims, adding them to Telegram groups and promising to send them abroad in exchange for lingerie-clad photos. These photos were then used for blackmail, forcing them into the sex trade."

"In this way, hundreds of young women have been turned into 'modern' sex slaves by the ring," he added.

After extensive investigations, CID identified the ringleader and key associates. "The ring has a strong domestic and international network, operating over a hundred channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers."

"Subscribers paid a certain fee to join these groups. The ring secretly recorded all video calls," the CID chief said.

"Unbelievably cunning, this young medical student and his cousin controlled thousands of women, including TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram celebrities," said the CID Chief.

"Their phones and laptops contained nearly one million nude photos and 20,000 adult videos."

At the press conference, it was said the gang earned “billions of taka” over the past seven years by producing and distributing pornographic videos via Telegram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.

The CID said the gang used the proceeds to buy vast amounts of land and build luxurious houses in Jashore, Satkhira, Khulna, and Dhaka.

They also deposited large sums in the bank accounts of their relatives.

The gang used Mobile Financial Services or MFS and cryptocurrency for transactions. They used hundreds of mobile SIM cards, none of which were registered with their actual national IDs.

Instead, they exploited the national IDs of unaware low-income people.

The CID recovered a total of 12 mobile phones, 20 SIM cards, a laptop, various bank ATM cards, and cheque books from the gang.

The arrestees have been charged under the Pornography Control Act, the Penal Code, and the Cyber Security Act at Paltan Police Station.