2 accused give confessional statement

Two accused in the passport forgery case in Patuakhali gave confessional statement to the court on Saturday.
Partho Sarothi Das, a broker, and Uttam Kumar Bhadra, MLSS of
Patuakhali passport office, gave their confessional statement to the executive magistrate after Patuakhali police station Sub Inspector (SI) Md Mehedee, also the investigation officer (IO), brought them to the court.
Earlier on August 7, Mohammad Toufiqul Islam Khan, deputy director (DD) of passport directorate, submitted his probe report to the director general of the directorate.
Identifying many irregularities in Patuakhali passport office, the report recommended departmental action against four staff as allegations against them were primarily found true, said Toufiqul Islam Khan, chief of the one-member probe body.
The four staff are Shahjahan Mia, deputy assistant director (DAD), Abul Hossen, office assistant cum typist, Ibrahim Khalil, office assistant (now working in Dhaka passport office) and Wahiduzzaman, MLSS, said the probe report.
DAD Shahjahan Mia was suspended on July 25 for his alleged involvement in this regard and procedure for punishment to other guilty staff has started, Toufiqul Islam Khan said.
Passport carrying through currier service is illegal but those men interchanged many passports through the service, the report said.
Earlier on July 24, another probe body formed by the Patuakhali deputy commissioner submitted its report, saying that the allegation of passport forgery was primarily proved.
According to the report, five times more passports than police verification reports were issued from January to June this year although police verification report is mandatory to issue each passport.
The passport office issued 10,140 passports during the six months but police sent clearance after verification for only 2,300 passports in the time, the report said.
It added that 2,054 passports were in 20 days from July 1 to 20 while police sent only 225 clearance reports.
Rapid Action Battalion in Patuakhali seized 350 fake passports and 344 fake passport forms from Patuakhali passport office on July 21.