Lakshmipur District Representative:
It is difficult to obtain this important information through the normal process at the regional passport office in Lakshmipur district. There are incidents of not getting a passport on time despite various harassments, obstacles, and having the necessary documents.
However, if there is a secret hint from someone in the active broker ring, it is not difficult to get a passport, no matter how many errors there are.
It is learnt that this regional passport office is full of brokers. The Lakshmipur Regional Passport Office, including Raipur, Ramganj, Kamalnagar, Ramgati, Chandraganj and Sadar, controls about 150 brokers. Without collusion with them, it is not possible to get a passport in a short time.
If the broker has a secret code, there is no need to be harassed, there is no need to worry about being caught in the queue. This costs passport recipients extra money. There have also been complaints of some passports being charged as much as 40 taka.
Although the common people get benefits from the brokers, they claim that it is difficult to get a passport directly from the Lakshmipur Regional Passport Office because of these unscrupulous people. They have formed a syndicate with the officials and employees inside the office in the greed of more money. Due to which, even if someone has all the correct documents, they have to be harassed.
While the general public complains about brokers, SM Zakir Hossain, deputy assistant director of the Lakshmipur Regional Passport Office, says the opposite. He claims that there are no brokers in this office. No one is being harassed.
But his claim has been proven false by a Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-11) operation team. Members of RAB-11 Noakhali conducted a raid against a broker syndicate in the vicinity of the Laxmipur Passport Office and various areas of Sadar and arrested 12 active members of the gang.
That same afternoon, Noakhali RAB-11 gave information to the media about this. The detainees are Shakil Al Mahmud (27), Md. Topu Hossain (24), Rashed Alam (22), Md. Shahin (28), Md. Kamal (63), Md. Zakir Hossain (23), Md. Iqbal Hossain (19), Fazlul Karim (22), Md. Zahid Islam (19), Belayet Hossain (33), Md. Noman Siddique (47), Morshedul Alam (34).
RAB said that these arrested brokers used to extort huge amounts of money from ordinary people by promising to make passports. They used to form syndicates in the areas around passport offices and conduct their dishonest activities.
A notice signed by Noakhali RAB-11 Company Commander Lieutenant Commander Mahmudul Hasan said that due to the syndicate of brokers, the public faces various obstacles while applying for passports and falls victim to various frauds. Twelve active members of the gang were arrested in this operation conducted by RAB as part of the anti-brokerage operation.
Based on a secret tip-off, the RAB's special operations team seized 80,020 taka in cash, five passports, 18 passport delivery slips and national identity cards from members of this gang in the Lakshmipur district Sadar police station area.
The operation against the brokers will continue. Legal action against the detainees is under process, Mahmudul Hasan said.
Later, the leaders of the Lakshmipur District Print Media Journalists Association spoke to Zakir, Deputy Assistant Director of the Lakshmipur Regional Passport Office, about the issue of brokers and syndicates. He said, "There are no brokers in my office, and no one is being harassed." When questioned about his claim, Zakir said, "I have heard about the arrest of some brokers. However, I did not know that passports have to be obtained through brokers. No one told me about this."
At this time, he again claimed that no broker or outsider can enter our office. He also said, "If anything happens outside the office, we are not responsible for it. We do not have the authority to take action against anyone outside."
When asked about the seizure of eight passports and passport slips from brokers, the government official said, "I am not aware of this. I cannot say how the passports came into their hands. If anyone from our office is involved in any irregularities, I will take action. I have not been here for a year yet."
The matter has also been discussed with the District Commissioner (DC). He said, "If any complaint comes, I will take immediate action. But we cannot take action on any matter outside the office."
