Three Sacked in Netrokona After Illicit Rohingya Identity Card Scheme Uncovered

An administrative inquiry into the illegal issuance of Bangladeshi citizenship documents and National Identity (NID) cards to a Rohingya refugee in exchange for money has led to the termination of three outsourcing employees in Netrokona district. The dismissals, which took place at the Kalmakanda Upazila Election Office, were officially confirmed by Netrokona District Election Officer Mohammad Tofael Hossain following directives from the central Election Commission.

The contractual personnel removed from their posts include data entry operators Kanchan Mia and Arif Mia, along with scanning operator Smoron Sarkar Hira. An investigation spearheaded by the Mymensingh Regional Election Officer established that all three third-party workers directly engaged in procedural violations to facilitate fraudulent biometric and document entries into the state system.

The fraudulent scheme surfaced in the Ramnathpur Pagla locality within Kalmakanda upazila. Reports indicate that a Rohingya national successfully obtained both a Bangladeshi NID card and a passport through financial transactions with local staff. A parallel case involving another Rohingya individual acquiring citizenship credentials was also detected in Netrokona Sadar upazila, raising concerns regarding systemic vulnerabilities within regional registration hubs.

Journalistic investigations first brought the irregularities to light in January, prompting formal inquiries by election authorities. Addressing the status of the workers, District Election Officer Tofael Hossain stressed that the trio were supplied via a private outsourcing firm rather than holding permanent civil service status. He added that probes into additional administrative allegations across the district remain active, whilst formal disciplinary proceedings against permanent election officials connected to the oversight have yet to reach a conclusion.

The administrative action swiftly turned into a law-enforcement matter when Kanchan Mia, one of the dismissed data entry operators, allegedly placed a phone call to local journalist Ibad Hossain and issued a death threat following the public announcement of his dismissal. The reporter lodged a formal complaint with Netrokona Model Police Station. Officer-in-Charge Abul Khair confirmed that an official investigation is underway to determine appropriate legal action. Kanchan Mia subsequently acknowledged confronting the journalist under severe emotional distress, stating he later realised his error and sought to apologise.

The unauthorized acquisition of national identity databases by foreign nationals poses severe national security challenges for Bangladesh. As state agencies work to safeguard the integrity of the electoral roll, local law enforcement and election officials continue to intensify monitoring over data-entry portals across the country.