Three officers and a few employees including drivers of Bangladesh Public Service Commission(BPSC)were involved in the cheating of 30 recruitment exams in the last 12 years, including Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS), an important examination for entry into high-ranking government jobs.

On whose shoulders was the responsibility of fulfilling the dreams of lakhs of job aspirants of the country, those protectors took on the role of devourers? Deputy Directors of BPSC Abu Zafar, Md. Jahangir Alam and Assistant Director Alamgir Kabir  questioned one of the institutions trusted by the people of the country to earn money illegally. PSC office assistant Khalilur Rahman and dispatch writer Sajedul Islam did the rest of the work for them.

Syed Abed Ali, the driver of the former chairman of PSC, was involved in cash transactions and recruitment of job candidates. PSC's former assistant director Nikhil Chandra Roy also remains involved in the question leak.

Criminal Investigation Department (CID) filed a case at Paltan police station after arresting 17 people including three senior officers of BPSC following media coverage of at least 30 exams held under PSC including BCS.

According to CID, members of this gang used to steal huge amount of money by leaking the question paper whenever PSC recruitment exam came. They leaked the question paper of Railway Sub-Assistant Engineer recruitment exam held on July 5. The members of the circle kept the question papers and their answers at the homes of their contracted students the night before the exam. Many more names have come forward in the investigation so far. Some high profile names have also been found. That information is being verified. All those involved will be brought under the law, CID said.

Sub-Inspector of Police(SI) Nippon Chandra Chand of Cyber Investigation and Operations Department of CID's Cyber Police Center filed a case under the Public Service Commission Act at Paltan Police Station in the capital on Monday (July 8) night. Names of 31 people and 50/60 unknown people have been accused in that case. Among them, 17 accused were arrested and handed over to the court on Tuesday (July 9).

Identity and occupation of the arrested

Syed Abed Ali (52) has been made accused number 1 in the case. His profession is rent-a-car. However, he was working as the driver of the former chairman of PSC for a long time.

Accused number 2 in the case is Noman Siddique (44). Noman, a resident of Laxmipur Ramgati, lived in the capital's Mirpur-10 Senpara Parbat area. His workplace is a garment factory.

Accused number 3 Khalilur Rahman (38). He is the Dispatch Writer of PSC. Accused number 4 Sajedul Islam (41). He is the office assistant of PSC. Accused No. 5 Mirpur ECB Square developer businessman Abu Soleman Sohail (35).

Accused number 6 in the case is PSC Deputy Director (Sylhet) Jahangir Alam (58). Accused number 7 is PSC Assistant Director SM Alamgir Kabir (49). Accused number 8 is Auditor Priyanath Roy (51) of Gazipur cantonment. Accused number 9 is Zahidul Islam (27) of Mirpur. Accused No. 10 Deputy Director of PSC. Abu Jafar (57).

Besides, the rest of the accused are Narayanganj passport office security guard Shahadat Hossain, working in Dhaka's immigration and passport office. Mamunur Rashid, Medical Technician of Shaheed Suhrawardy Hospital. Niamul Hasan, businessman brothers Sakhawat Hossain and Sayem Hossain, Daffodil University student Liton Sarkar and Syed Sohanur Rahman Siam, son of Syed Abed Ali.

Those who are still on the run

The former assistant director of PSC Nikhil Chandra Roy, Shariful Islam Bhuiyan, Deepak Banik, Khorshed Alam Khokon, Kazi Md. Suman, AKM Golam Parvez, Mehdi Hasan Khan, Golam Hamidur Rahman, Muha. Mizanur Rahman, Atiqul Islam, ATM Mustafa, Mahfuz Kalu, Aslam and Kaushik Debnath have been shown as fugitives in the case.

According to CID, on the basis of secret information during regular cyber monitoring on July 6, CID got to know the exact question paper of railway sub -assistant engineer (non-cadre) recruitment exam organized by PSC on July 5 through the arrest of 17 accused and the absconding accused along with 50/60 other accused. Leaked. A syndicated circle distributes questions and answers to candidates for money before the scheduled examination time.

How the CID operation started

With the help of intelligence and technology, the CID got information about the location of various places in the city of Dhaka, including Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Motijheel, Bashundhara. Later, with the permission of higher authorities, the CID conducted a multi-team operation to take legal action against the question-leaking gang members. With the help of information technology, Liton Sarkar was first arrested from Shyamoli area of the capital on the night of July 7.

Arrested Liton told CID during interrogation that he used to get exam papers from his associates Priyanath and Zahid. In return for questions and answers, the arrested Liton paid a fixed rate to accused Priyanath and Zahid. After that, Priyanath Roy was arrested that night from Food Villa Hotel in SKS Tower, Mohakhali.

Priyanath said during interrogation that he used to get question papers from accused Zahid. He also used to pay certain amount of money to Zahidul Islam in exchange for questions and answers.

After arresting Priyanath Roy, CID arrested Zahidul Islam from Shyamoli area on the same night. Accused Zahid said during interrogation that he used to collect the question papers through Suman, a person in Rangpur district. Zahid himself used to give a large part of the amount of money he received to Suman. Then Noman Siddique, an active member of the circle, was sent to the capital. He was arrested from his flat in Mirpur-10 area. Noman admitted his involvement in question paper leak. PSC Deputy Director (Sylhet) Jahangir Alam was arrested from Bashundhara residential area on his initial confession. After that, Shahadat Hossain was arrested from Mirpur, Mamunur and Niamul from Sher-e-bangla Nagar area. Niamul said in the first interrogation that one of the active members of the question-leaking circle is Khalilur Rahman, PSC's dispatch writer.

As the name of the main player of the cycle came up

Khalilur Rahman had been leaking the question papers of various exams including the recruitment exam of Sub- Assistant Engineer (Non Cadre) of Bangladesh Railway for a long time. Based on such information, the CID raided Mirpur Pirer Bagh and arrested him and interrogated him.

Khalilur said during the interrogation that PSC assistant director Alamgir used to provide candidates for these exams. Alamgir has been leaking the question papers of various exams including Railway Sub- Assistant Engineer (Non Cadre) recruitment exam for a long time. Alamgir was arrested at around 4:30 am on July 8 from a government residence in Mirpur area. After verifying the information from him, the name of PSC office assistant Sajedul Islam, one of the ringleaders, came up.

After Sajedul Islam's arrest, he told the CID during interrogation that PSC Deputy Director Abu Zafar used to leak the question papers of various exams. He used to collect leaked questions through him. After that Sajedul collected job seekers from different areas of Bangladesh through his associate Sakhawat and Siddheshwari College student Sayem Hossain and gathered the job seekers in rented houses or hotels in Dhaka and surrounding areas.

One or two days before the recruitment exam, Sajedul used to leak the exact question papers and distribute the post questions and answers to the candidates in exchange for money. Similarly, on July 5, the candidates were invited to the rented houses of Niamul Paltan and Khilgaon areas for the Railway Sub Assistant Engineer recruitment exam organized by PSC and arranged for the exam.

How the name of driver Abed Ali came up

In the statement of the detained Sajedul, the name of Syed Abed Ali, the driver of the PSC former chairman, emerged as the main player of the cycle. Sajedul also said that apart from collecting job aspirants through associates, questions and answers of railway sub assistant engineer recruitment exam were distributed to Syed Abed Ali, one of the members of the circle, in exchange for a certain amount of money.

Based on the information given by Sajedul, Sakhawat Hossain and Sayem Hossain were arrested from Sajedul's current residence and Syed Abed Ali in the Central West Sheorapara area of the capital. At the same time, CID arrested Abed Ali's son Syed Sohanur Rahman Siam after receiving information about his involvement.

Syed Abed Ali's statement came up, Abu Soleman Sohel has provided candidates for Railway Sub- Assistant Engineer Recruitment Exam. And that's why Abed Ali managed the booth himself. Later Sohail was also arrested.

Those concerned with the investigation said that 50/60 unidentified persons including the absconding 14 accused were involved in leaking and distributing the examination question papers before the scheduled time of the railway sub assistant engineer recruitment examination. The accused as an organized gang is involved in leaking the question papers of various grades of PSC including BCS of previous years in exchange of money before the scheduled time of the examination.

When asked, an officer related to the CID investigation said that PSC's accused PSC deputy director Jahangir, Zafar and assistant director Alamgir used to leak the questions themselves. Then through Office Assistant Sajedul, PSC Dispatch Writer Khalilur, candidates were supplied with leaked questions. It was taught to the candidates by calling them at home. A large amount of money was taken. Here Syed Abed Ali used to manage the transaction and inquiry booth.

He said, so far in the investigation, we have received the names of many others. Some high profile names are also coming forward. That information is being verified.

CID Cyber Police Center (CPC) Special Superintendent of Police Md. Tauhidul Islam said that 17 people have been arrested in the case so far. Seven people, including Syed Abed Ali, the driver of the former PSC chairman, admitted responsibility and gave a statement in court. The information received from the arrested persons is being scrutinized. Everyone else who is involved in this cycle will be brought under the law.