US, EU passport, visa for Tk 3 lakh!

On July 2 last year, Mohammad Asif went to Dhaka airport to go to Nepal. He was carrying two passports, one Bangladeshi and one American.

The immigration desk, noticing his suspicious activities, started quizzing Asif about the American passport. As immigration was not satisfied by his answer, it detained the 23-year-old and sent both of his passports to the Document Analysis Centre (DAC) for checking.

After examination, DAC reported that the Bangladeshi passport was authentic, but the security features of the American passport's biography page were inaccurate.

Later on, police started interrogating Asif, and at one point, he admitted that the passport was fake.

This raises the question -- how did he actually get the fake passport?

Through Asif, law enforcers eventually found out that a transnational syndicate has been selling fake passports and visas of Europe and the US for a hefty sum of money.

Two Syrians, along with a Pakistani, are making these documents somewhere in Turkey and then selling them to gullible people through social media.

What's more, an official of Bangladesh's security agency and a former travel-agent official have joined hands with the syndicate.

The human-trafficking wing of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit disclosed the information to The Daily Star recently. Investigators discovered the syndicate's activities while investigating a case filed with Airport Police Station on July 5 last year.

Asif's account has been recorded in the case's first information report (FIR).

The youngster used to look after his father's business after completing his SSC. Coming across a Facebook post that read "Europe, American passports, and visas are available", he communicated with a person through a WhatsApp number.

We have so far found that people from three countries are working closely with the syndicate. Once we get information of the suspects, we would send a request to Interpol for their further details, including Ibrahim's (security-agency official) hideout, to take action.

— Tohidul Islam Additional Deputy Commissioner of CTTC

The person identified himself as Emran Ahmed and made a deal with Asif to provide a passport in exchange for $3,000 (Around Tk 3 lakh). As per the deal, Asif sent Tk 95,000 and Tk 1.80 lakh to the bank account numbers Emran gave on June 15 and June 19 of that year, according to the FIR.

After payment, Asif received the American passport at his address through courier service on June 26, 2022. Intending to change his fortune using the passport, Asif went to Dhaka airport to travel to Nepal first and then to Europe or America from there, the FIR added.

While investigating the case, the CTTC unit arrested Masum Ahmed, 34, from the capital on January 12 this year. Masum has been involved in illegal activities and selling fake US passports, Tohidul Islam, additional deputy commissioner of CTTC, told The Daily Star recently.

THE RINGLEADER

According to investigators, Mohammad Solamain, a Syrian national, is leading the syndicate from Turkey, along with another Syrian Taz Aladin.

Besides, a Pakistani national, Mohammad Ali, is also working with the duo as their associate.

Arrestee Masum, who is now in jail, disclosed the details with the investigators, said a high CTTC official, requesting anonymity.

Masum joined as an agent at a travel agency in Sylhet in 2017. The agency's activities halted within the next couple of years due to illegal activities, like defrauding people in the name of sending them abroad, the official told The Daily Star.

"While working in the agency, Masum came in touch with a former official of the security agency -- Ibrahim -- who is now staying in Benin," the official continued, adding that Ibrahim then dragged Masum into the syndicate in 2019.

ADC Tohidul said, "Primarily, we have come to know that the syndicate is involved in providing such fake visas and passports to people of different countries."

Masum was responsible for working as an intermediary between the target and the syndicate, he said, adding that "for each task, Masum used to get a payment of $200 to 300".

Once an order was done, ringleader Solamain would send the passport after making it from Turkey, said Tohidul, quoting primary investigation findings.

Regarding the victims, Tohidul said that they are trying to get actual figures, but the syndicate has at least several dozen members, as it has been doing such illegal activities for three years.

INTERPOL ASSISTANCE

CTTC officials said that they are now trying to get available details of Ali, Solamain, and Aladin.

Besides the three, officials found involvement of two other Bangladeshis -- Md Shafiq and Kamrul. They would process the targeted people's documents for fake visas and passports from Dubai, they said.

Kamrul was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department last year for being involved in human trafficking and is now in jail, said CTTC investigators. Shafiq is hiding somewhere in Bangladesh or Dubai.

To avoid detection, the syndicate never sends people to the country the forged passport or visa represents, investigators added.

"We have so far found that people from three countries are working closely with the syndicate. Once we get information of the suspects, we would send a request to Interpol for their further details, including Ibrahim's hideout, to take action," added ADC Tohidul.