Two of the 17 people arrested by detectives in a special drive after their involvement in leaking question papers of various job recruitment exams came to light are Niyamul Hasan James and Mamunur Rashid. Both hail from Gabtali, Bogra.
James, a technician at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, and Mamun, an office assistant cum typist at the Immigration and Passport Department in Dhaka, allegedly gave government jobs to hundreds of people under various quotas by forging documents in return for large sums of money and land.
Of them, James was also a former office helper at Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC).
Abdul Gafur Biplob, former general secretary of the Gabtali Upazila Chhatra League, filed a written complaint with the Bogra office of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on June 12, 2023.
Over a year has passed, but the ACC has yet to take any action against them.
PSC question leak: Family disappointed with Liton Sarkar after arrestCopies have been given to the Prime Minister's Office, secretary of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Bogra Deputy Commissioner, and Bogra Press Club.
Biplob said: “As no one took action against them, they got involved in recruitment trade and question paper leak.”
He alleged that a vested quarter is trying to save James as he has become influential in the area.
What ACC says
Assistant Director Asaduzzaman Asad of the Bogra ACC office said the complaint was handed over to a three-member committee after it was received.
However, he is unsure whether it received approval for investigation. Deputy Director Jahangir Alam mentioned that the complaint had been sent to the ACC headquarters.
Allegations against James
Abdul Gafur Biplob’s written complaint to the ACC said that James, a former PSC employee, exploited various government officials in Bogra to create fake disability certificates for over a hundred people. These people were then provided with jobs under the disability quota.
James manipulated the system to get his wife, Moushumi, a job in the Customs Department through the Dhaka district quota, concealing her actual address.
He also arranged jobs for his sister and other relatives in various government offices.
PSC question leak: 80-90 Naogaon youths got jobs via Alamgir KabirAccording to the complaint, James took land from a man named Palash and his in-laws in Doyarpur and bought at least 13 bighas of land.
He deposited a significant amount of money into Meghna Bank and Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited in 2015, which can be verified through an investigation.
Under the fake disability quota, James arranged jobs for various individuals, including Saiful Islam in the Department of Agriculture Extension, Joy Kabir Riko in Dupchanchia, Washim Kaluk in Kahaloo upazila, Zahid Hasan in Bagmara LGED office, and others in various positions across different government departments.
What locals say
At James’s residence in North Doyarpur, his sister Jelly Khatun, who works in the Bogra Public Works Department, claimed to know nothing about her brother’s activities.
A resident, Abdul Quddus Mondal, said that James had significant property in the area and did not need to resort to illegal practices for money and land.
Although villagers expressed their fears and chose not to disclose their names, they confirmed that James and his in-laws had illegally acquired land by securing government jobs for people.
Mamun follows in James’ footsteps
Mamunur Rashid, who got a job at the Passport Department through James, also engaged in job racketeering.
It was discovered that Mamun provided jobs to many people from Baiguni and Bawituna villages in exchange for Tk15 to 20 lakh each.
Mamun himself did not acquire significant assets in his hometown but bought five bighas of land in Baiguni in his father’s name and developed a large cattle farm in Daraial Bazar, though he had moved 15 out of 25 cows from the farm.
