Birth certificate forgery: Ex-EC staff arrested in Ctg

Members of the Counter Terrorism Division of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) yesterday arrested a suspended staff of the Election Commission's Chattogram regional office over forging birth certificates.

The arrestee, Md Joynal Abedin, a former office assistant of Chattogram EC office, was sent to jail after police produced him before a court seeking an eight-day remand prayer, CT Sub-Inspector Joel Chowdhury told The Daily Star.

Joynal was also arrested on September 16, 2019, in a case filed for the Rohingya NID scam.

Asif Mohiuddin, additional deputy commissioner (ADC) of CT, said, "After walking out from jail on bail, Joynal and his syndicate started forging birth certificates again via breaching the birth registration server."

Sources at Chattogram City Corporation said Joynal's syndicate issued more than 500 birth certificates illegally to the people of five city corporation wards between January 8 and January 20 using different addresses by breaching the server.

CCC authorities kept the birth registration activities suspended on January 21 after being informed about the forgery and filed several general diaries in this connection, the sources added.

The following day, CCC lifted the suspension order except for three wards where massive forgery was found.

A case was also filed with the Khulshi Police Station regarding the forgery and police arrested four persons.

Based on the information provided by one of the arrestees, police arrested Joynal last night from the port city's Laldighi area, said the ADC.

"Police also found evidence of money transactions in the Bkash app in Joynal's mobile phone and seized huge PDF copies of birth certificates," Asif said.

"We suspect that Rohingya individuals are among the beneficiaries of the certificates. Tk 1500 to Tk 2000 was taken for each birth certificate," he added.