12 arrested with fake passports in Chittagong
Detective Branch of Police arrested 12 members of a syndicate and seized 300 fake passports from their possession in Chittagong yesterday.Photo: STAR
Detective Branch (DB) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) yesterday arrested 12 members of a syndicate and seized many passports and documents from their possession.
The arrestees are Sekandar, Abdul Mannan alias Attested Mannan, Ashish Biswas, Mohammad Shahed, MD Milon, Shyamal Gupta, Suman Shil, Md Jahir Uddin, Jafar Ahmad, Milon Mehedi, Shipon Sinha and Rajan Dev.
Acting on a tip-off, a DB team led by Assistant Commissioner (AC) Wahidul Hoque Chowdhury raided different areas near the Passport Office at Panchlaish and arrested them at around 1.00pm.
Police recovered 320 complete passports, 40 incomplete passports, photographs, seals of different government officials, stamp pads, blank national certificates, character certificates, medical-certificates and two sacks of passport forms.
Police said members of the syndicate with the help of a section of staffs in the passport office have long been involved in the illegal activity of making passports for people in exchange for money.
Wahidul told The Daily Star that the general people cannot make their passport in the normal process since they are forced to take passports from the syndicate in exchange for extra-money.
Besides, many people prefer to collect passports from the syndicate members to avoid hassle that they face at the passport office, he added.
The AC said the syndicate is also involved in making passports in different names using fake documents like national certificates, fake signatures and seal of government officials.
He said the criminals also could collect passports in other names from the syndicate to flee the country.
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