Dhaka: The Detective Branch (DB) has arrested five members of an organised forgery syndicate accused of fabricating the Prime Minister's seal, signatures of ministers, lawmakers, and senior government officials, and using forged official documents to influence authorities and carry out fraud.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the arrests were made during coordinated drives in Madaripur's Kalkini and Kushtia following intelligence-led investigations by the DB Cyber and Special Crime (South) Division. The arrested individuals are Md Faruk Hossain, 41, Sakib Khan, 25, Masum Munshi, 45, Mir Touhidul Islam, 36, and Md Bakul Mondal, 35.
During the operations, detectives seized four bundles of forged government letterhead pads, 41 fake seals bearing the names and signatures of the Prime Minister, ministers, lawmakers, and senior officials, along with eight mobile phones, two computers, and a laptop allegedly used in the forgery activities.
Additional Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and Chief of DB Md Shafiqul Islam disclosed this information at a press briefing held at the DMP Media Centre in the capital's Minto Road. He stated that this was a well-organised syndicate that systematically abused the identities of the Prime Minister and other top state officials to manipulate administrative processes, influence public offices, and commit fraud.
The investigation revealed that the network had been operational for a long time, producing forged official letterheads, seals, and recommendation letters of government offices to obtain illegal benefits and exert influence over various institutions. Investigators found that the alleged mastermind, Faruk Hossain, initially joined a government project under the Ministry of Labour and Employment as an electrician in 2006 but was dismissed from service in 2014.
In an attempt to regain his job, Faruk allegedly prepared forged official documents using fake seals, signatures, and letterheads of the Prime Minister, ministers, state ministers, lawmakers, and secretaries, even replicating the Prime Minister's "Priority" seal to expedite the process. Faruk later formed an organised network that expanded its activities beyond his reinstatement efforts and engaged in fraudulent lobbying using forged government documents.
The investigation also uncovered that the syndicate opened a fake WhatsApp account using the photograph of the Prime Minister's protocol officer to contact government officials and press them over the reinstatement issue. Additionally, evidence was found that the group used a forged recommendation letter related to manpower recruitment for Moldova.
Shafiqul Islam confirmed that legal action has been initiated against the arrested suspects, while efforts are ongoing to identify and apprehend other members of the syndicate. He added that investigators are examining whether the forged documents were used in other cases involving fraud and illegal influence.