Leaked question answers were made to be memorised overnight at resorts, NGO dormitories under the guise of ‘guests’

"Where is the money? Send the list of guests. Don’t take in any new guests. Media and administration officials may create trouble posing as guests." In response, the other person urged, "Give me the list of guests, sir is asking for it."

The ‘guests’ mentioned in these WhatsApp messages exchanged among members of the question paper leak syndicate were actually job candidates for various government recruitment examinations. After questions were taken out by cutting open the Public Service Commission’s trunk or smuggling them out of the press hidden in underwear, the most risky stage would begin. Candidates were gathered at secret locations and made to memorise the questions and answers throughout the night under tight security.

To evade intelligence surveillance, these secret hideouts were set up at luxury resorts in Dhaka, dormitories of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), filter warehouses or behind the cover of coaching centres. This was where ‘Operation Guest’ was carried out. There were also special instructions for these candidates referred to as ‘guests’.

Strict rules were imposed on candidates entering the hideouts of the question paper leak syndicate. A WhatsApp message received on the mobile phone of one of the syndicate’s key masterminds, Abu Soleman, at 11:38am on 24 April 2024 contained strict warnings for candidates. It said, ‘No one should come wearing shoes or sneakers. Do not wear any kind of watch. Do not bring a wallet or vanity bag. Bring some money in hand or in your pocket for transportation costs. Bring only the admit card and pen. If a mobile phone is found, there will be severe punishment.’

The investigation found that candidates were not allowed to carry any smartphone. Only ordinary feature phones could be kept for communication. Shoes, belts, bags or any personal belongings were completely prohibited inside the secret rooms.

Before the Bangladesh Railway sub-assistant engineer recruitment examination on 5 July 2024, Palmira Resort in the Radio Colony area of Savar was rented. Forty-four candidates, including Shaon Biswas, were brought and kept there.

Temporary booths were set up inside the resort, where the candidates were kept for two consecutive days and supplied with leaked question papers along with answers. After making them memorise the answers throughout the night, they were sent to their respective examination centres early on the day of the test. An amount of Tk 600,000 was deposited into the account of Abed Ali from Janata Bank’s Paglapur Bazar branch by Shaon Biswas’s uncle, Sanat Kumar Biswas. Both Shaon and Sanat gave statements as witnesses under Section 164 before the court. Resort caretaker Ratan Matubbar also gave a statement before the court.

The investigation report said the main responsibility for booking the resort was handled by Abed Ali’s son, Syed Sohanur Rahman Siam. He arranged accommodation for the candidates on his father’s instructions. Although Siam was a student by profession, his lifestyle was luxurious. A forensic examination of his phone found photographs of candidates’ admit cards, messages related to financial transactions and lists stored on the phone. The report said Siam became the owner of several businesses and substantial assets, both in his own name and through others, with money from the question paper leak.

Another member of the syndicate, Md Al Mamun, chose accommodation facilities of two established NGOs in Mohammadpur, Dhaka, to house job candidates. One was Padakhep and the other was UST.

Polices’ Criminal Investigation Department (CID) seized a digital video recorder (DVR), a special register, Agrani Bank deposit slips and money deposit receipts from UST’s accommodation facility. A receipt dated 25 April 2024 was found there, showing that Tk 416,122 had been paid for one night’s accommodation and food for the candidates. The investigation report said two candidates, Arafat Rahman Akash and Md Tuhin Hossain, admitted in statements under Section 161 to police that they had stayed there.

Similarly, before the 46th BCS preliminary examination, candidates were brought to Padakhep’s dormitory and kept there for two days. They were made to memorise a set of questions the night before the examination. A visitors’ register and a receipt dated 25 April were seized from there, showing payment of Tk 50,000 for accommodation and food. Candidates Md Mehedi Hasan and Prasanjit Chakma, who stayed there, also gave statements to police.

The role of Sakhawat Hossain and his brother Saim Hossain in the investigation has drawn attention. Sakhawat was a filter businessman, while his younger brother Saim assisted him. After receiving the Railway examination questions through their friend Sajedul, 42 candidates were gathered at Sakhawat’s filter warehouse. Saim brought eight candidates and Sajedul brought 34. They were kept at the filter warehouse the night before the examination, made to memorise the questions and sent to the examination centres in the morning. Sakhawat and Saim gave confessional statements under Section 164 before the court.

In addition, candidates were kept and made to study at a house behind Tejgaon police station, in the Basabo area and at Sajedul’s house in AGB Colony. Forty candidates for the junior instructor examination were divided into two groups and kept at the houses of Md Al Amin Hossain and Md Anisur Rahman. Of these 40 candidates, Mahmudul Hasan Manna supplied 11, Wasim Khan five, Sumon Kumar Basu three, Anisur Rahman six and Bipash Chakma 11 candidates.

Abu Soleman, who once prepared for the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examinations while living at Mohsin Hall of Dhaka University, learned about the leaking of the 35th BCS preliminary examination question paper through a person named Ronju. He later became involved with the syndicate through Al Mamun. The syndicate could not leak the 36th BCS question paper because it was printed at Ami Printing Press instead of the BG Press.

In the 37th BCS, a person named Swadhin Chowdhury made an agreement with Sohel to get him into a cadre position. A seat was arranged for him at a school near Farmgate, and he was kept at the head teacher’s house there and provided with solved questions. Even in the BCS written examination, Sohel’s answer script was allegedly written by another person, brought into the examination hall and replaced with his own script. Sohel passed the preliminary and written examinations but was eliminated in the viva.

After failing to get a job, Sohel himself became a major agent in the question paper leak syndicate. He sold questions under the cover of a real estate business in Mirpur. For the 46th BCS, Sohel supplied 23 candidates under an agreement of Tk 80,000 per candidate. Al Mamun’s men picked them up in two microbuses from in front of the IDB Bhaban in Agargaon. Seventeen of them passed the preliminary examination. For the Railway examination, he supplied 10 candidates through Sajedul. CID found around Tk 1 billion in eight bank accounts belonging to Sohel. He invested the money in a jewellery shop for his two brothers and bought land in different parts of the country in his own name.

SM Alamgir Kabir ran a coaching centre called ‘Job Corner Shorthand and Computer Training Institute’ in Mirpur. He allegedly sold question papers of various examinations to selected candidates under the cover of the institution. Admit cards, cheque books and bank transaction documents were recovered from him.

Meanwhile, Anisur Rahman, the owner of a photocopy shop, became acquainted with Abed Ali, who regularly came to the shop to make photocopies. Through this connection, Anisur supplied several candidates for the Railway junior instructor post under an agreement of Tk 700,000. Two days before the examination, he deposited Tk 300,000 into a Dutch-Bangla Bank account named ‘Siam Enterprise’ on Abed Ali’s instructions. Anisur admitted the truth of these details in a confessional statement under Section 164 before the court.

The 55 accused named in the CID charge sheet are Abu Jafar, Alamgir Kabir, Jahangir Alam, Abed Ali, Sakhawat Hossain, Abu Soleman, Noman Siddiq, Sajedul Islam, Priyanath Roy, Saim Hossain, Niamul Hasan, Zahidul Islam, Khalilur Rahman, Mamunur Rashid, Shahadat Hossain, Sohanur Rahman, Liton Sarkar, Nikhil Chandra Roy, Md Shariful Islam Bhuiyan, Dipak Banik, Md Khorshed Alam Khokon, Kazi Md Sumon, A K M Golam Parvez, Mehedi Hasan Khan, Md Mizanur Rahman, Atikul Islam, H M Mostafa, Md Mahfuzar Rahman alias Kalu, Md Aslam Hossain, Kaushik Debnath, Md Mojahidul Islam, Md Majnu Mia, Mohammad Akram Hossain Mondal, Md Abdul Azim, Rupen Chandra Das, Md Anisur Rahman, Md Sahidul Islam, Md Juel Al Mamun, Md Sohel Parvez alias Sujon, Md Al Mamun, Md Delwar Hossain, Shaker Ahmed Al-Amin, Md Ashraful Alam, Md Rubel Sharif, Md Mahmud Hasan Manna, M M Nazmul Hasan, Bipash Chakma, Md Mannan Uddin, Md Jasim Uddin alias Kalu, Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman Dipu, Md Ferdous Ahmed, Md Bilal Hossain, Sumon Kumar Basu, Md Wasim Khan and Zahidul Sardar.

CID is investigating money-laundering allegations against 37 of the accused. Of the accused named in the charge sheet, 26 have been arrested, but 25 of them, including Abed Ali and Siam, are currently out on bail. Only one is in jail. The remaining 29 are still absconding. The court has ordered notices to be published in newspapers naming them.

CID Additional Superintendent of Police and investigation officer Sumon Kumar Saha told Prothom Alo that a charge sheet against 55 people had been submitted to the court after a lengthy and meticulous investigation. Twenty-three people were in custody when the report was submitted, while several others later surrendered before the court and secured bail. An investigation into money laundering by 37 people is underway. If evidence is found, separate cases will be filed against them.

Lawyer Md Rezaul Karim told Prothom Alo, "I am representing five people, including Abed Ali and Siam. Although a charge sheet has been filed against 55 people, many have already secured bail. Many of the accused have become embroiled in the case merely because of ordinary communication. Many names have been unnecessarily implicated because of media trials."

Public prosecutor and PP of the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court Omar Faruq Faruqi told Prothom Alo, "Question paper leaks break the backbone of the entire nation and destroy meritorious people. Such a heinous crime cannot be tolerated in any way. Although many of the accused have secured bail from the High Court, the state will fight in court to ensure exemplary punishment for the offenders."