12 detained over exam fraud, overseas job

photo: collected

Bangladesh's Special Response Battalion (SRB-4) detained 12 people accused of collecting money by promising overseas jobs, work visas and guaranteed examination success, while a mobile court sentenced seven to jail terms and fined five others.

The suspects were detained during a raid in the Technical Intersection area of the capital on Friday morning. Seven people received jail terms ranging from seven days to three months, while five others were fined.

SRB-4 Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Hafizur Rahman disclosed the arrests at a news conference in Dhaka on Friday afternoon.

He said the force launched an investigation following complaints from the Bangladesh-Korea Technical Training Center (BKTTC) and Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL). After verifying the allegations, officers conducted the raid in the presence of an executive magistrate.

The gang allegedly charged candidates between 40,000 taka and 10 lakh taka, depending on the case, for promises of low-cost work visas and guaranteed success in written examinations. The suspects later misappropriated the money under various pretexts, SRB-4 said.

BOESL, which operates under the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, recruits workers for overseas jobs through government channels without charging candidates recruitment fees, the news conference was told. Candidates with passports can apply for overseas employment opportunities through examinations held every Friday and Saturday at the BKTTC venue. The alleged brokers mainly targeted candidates gathering for the tests.

Rahman said BKTTC provides training in 24 trades of varying durations. Although its certificates can help candidates seeking overseas employment, the centre does not directly send workers abroad or arrange jobs.

He urged jobseekers not to pay anyone promising overseas employment or guaranteed examination results without verifying the claims through government departments and authorised agencies. Victims of fraud were advised to report the incidents to the authorities promptly.