5% official passports found fake

As many as 150 passports, that is, five per cent of the total 3,000 official passports issued in the first six months this year, were found to be fake.

Officials in the immigration and passports department said they have scrutinised the passports to find forgeries, acting on a tip-off received from Turkey.  The immigration and passports department thinks the number of fake official passports would cross 500 if all the passports issued this year were scrutinised.  Government officials and experts said it was shameful that they had to learn about the forged official passports from Turkey. This had tarnished the image of the country.

They further said Bangladeshis already faced endless suffering with their general passports, and now the detection of the official passport scam would simply exacerbate their sufferings.

Admitting this to Prothom Alo, the director general of the immigration and passports department, NM Ziaul Alam said, “Cases will be filed against 108 passport holders who obtained their passports with fake documents.”

Asked whether those who are involved in the process of passport forgery would be indicted in the case, Ziaul Alam says, “Those who would be found guilty in the investigation must be indicted in the case.” Preferring anonymity, an official in the passport department said the forged passports were primarily issued as general ones. Later, those were made ‘official passports’ showing fake documents in the name of correcting the passport.

A human trafficking racket in connivance with a syndicate in the passport office prepares such passports. As much as Tk 4,00,000 is taken against the issuance of each of such passport.

Sources said a director in the passport department and several officials are involved in the passport forgery. It was found that all of the forms submitted to get the forged passports are written with same handwriting.  Officials in the foreign ministry said Bangladesh has signed memorandum of understanding with 27 countries that the persons holding official passports would get the visa on arrival in those countries.

Capitalising on this opportunity, human traffickers are sending people to those countries using the forged passports, especially to several countries like Turkey, Singapore, Malaysia and the Maldives.  Many in disguise of government officials first go to Turkey and then from there go on to different European countries.

Recently, three youths went to Turkey in disguise of government officials, but fell into trouble there and sought police help, which led to the discovery that official passports were being forged in Bangladesh.  As the government investigated the allegations of passport forgery, the authorities concerned temporarily suspended the director at Dhaka divisional passport office, Munshi Muyeed Ekram, assistant director SM Shah Zaman, office assistant Saiful Islam-1, Shahjahan Mia and Abul Hossain in connection with the allegations.  After the detection of passport forgery in Turkey, the authorities have tightened security measures in issuing official passports.

Now official passports are issued only to those government officials who would go abroad on official duty.

Sources in the home ministry, all the government officials ranging from office assistants (peons) to additional secretaries are currently getting official passports.  Secretaries get red passports. On average, about 1,50,000 government officials go abroad every year and a section of them do not return.

An intelligence agency started investigation into the matter and found eight including the director involved in the passport forgery.

On 17 May, the passport department formed a three-member probe team led by director Selina Banu to investigate the forgery. But Selina Banu was transferred even before the investigation, for unknown reasons.  A new inquiry committee was formed with joint secretary and the project director (building construction) at the passport department, Atikul Haque, as the head.  Talking to Prothom Alo, a member of the inquiry team said many had gone abroad using official passports, some have come back with memories of their ordeals while others went into hiding when the incident was exposed.  Md Shamsuddin, a Noakhali resident who changed his passport to an official one on last 16 December, has reportedly gone to Brazil.

Mannan Mia of Sylhet’s Gopalganj changed his passport to an official one even without submitting any documents in this regard. Milan Bapari of Munshiganj made his passport as an official one by introducing himself as an office assistant in the tax commissioner’s office. His passport was issued on 12 April.  When contacted, Milan Bapari said he met a youth named Jahangir of Mirpur 12 who said he would send him to Korea in exchange for Tk 3,00,000.  Milan Bapari said he destroyed his ‘official passport’ when the incident came to light.

Talking to Prothom Alo, Mayanur Rashid of Dinajur, who went to Turkey with a forged official passport and returned home, claimed he signed a deed with a human trafficker of Motijheel named Mahbubul Alam that he would send him to Turkey only for Tk 7,00,000.  According to the agreement, Mayanur gave him a total of Tk 4,00,000 and the human trafficker changed his general passport into an official one, showing him as an employee of Suhrawardy hospital.

Mayanur was sent to India first and then he was flown from Mumbai to Turkey.  Two other youths were also sent with Mayanur.

On their arrival in Turkey, human traffickers made them hostage and tried to realise more money from their family members in Bangladesh. They escaped and took shelter in the Bangladesh embassy there.