NID Scam: EC staffer placed on 4-day remand

A court yesterday placed a staffer of Chattogram regional Election Office (EC) on a four-day remand in a case filed with Kotwali Police Station over Bangladeshi National Identity (NID) card forgery for Rohingyas.

The remanded accused is Md Najim, peon of Chattogram EC office, who was arrested by members of Counter Terrorism (CT) unit of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) on Monday.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) (Prosecution) Md Kamruzzaman, of CMP, said the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Mehnaz Rahman passed the remand order after the EC employee was produced before the court with a seven-day remand prayer in the NID forgery case.

With the arrest of Najim, a total of 11 persons -- including nine EC staffers -- were arrested while four gave confessional statement before the magistrates.

On September 15, Anti-Corruption Commission found that using official devices, several syndicates provided Bangladeshi NID cards to Rohingyas through forgery in exchange of huge sums of money.

ACC said several laptops of EC -- directly connected to NID server -- were stolen and EC has no official data about the missing laptops yet.

Police and passport officials said some Rohingya refugees were making Bangladeshi passports using forged NID cards with the help of some locals and Rohingya brokers.

The Rohingyas were using fake names and addresses while applying for the identification documents. EC officials still cannot say exactly how many Rohingyas have secured the cards through illegal means.

After the incident, Double Mooring Thana Election Officer Pallabi Chakma filed the case accusing five people and several unknown in connection with the forgery on September 17.