A mobile court has sentenced 12 individuals to various terms of imprisonment and financial penalties for embezzling passports and money after luring job seekers with false promises of overseas employment and work visas.
The Special Response Battalion-4 (SRB-4) detained the suspects on Friday during an operation in Bangladesh-Korea Technical Training Centre (BKTTC) area.
Out of the 12 convicts, seven were handed jail sentences while five were penalised with fines.
Among those imprisoned, Sabuj and Shamim were sentenced to three months each, Sujon to one month, Shahin to 21 days, Abul Bashar to 15 days, and both Harun and Suruj Mia to seven days each.
Among those fined, Durjoy was penalised Tk10,000, Rezaul Karim Tk5,000, Kaiyum Tk4,000, Riaz Tk2,000, and Kamrun Nahar Tk1,000.
Briefing journalists following the drive, SRB-4 Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Md Hafizur Rahman said the action was taken following a shadow investigation into the broker syndicate’s activities.
The probe was initiated based on complaints lodged by BKTTC and Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL).
The investigation revealed that members of the fraudulent ring collected money from candidates by giving them false assurances of overseas employment.
The commanding officer explained that the fraudsters guaranteed overseas job placements and assured candidates of passing written examinations in exchange for sums ranging between Tk40,000 and Tk10 lakh, only to embezzle the funds under various pretexts.
Clarifying institutional functions, the SRB-4 chief noted that while BKTTC provides skill development training for overseas employment, it does not directly send workers abroad or arrange job placements. Meanwhile, BOESL, operating under the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, manages legal overseas recruitment without charging candidates any fees.
The broker syndicate exploited these official processes to defraud job seekers.
He highlighted that government recruitment to Jordan, for instance, is conducted almost entirely free of charge, with airfare, visa fees, and recruitment expenses fully covered, aside from minor personal costs. Despite this free official facility, the broker ring extorted money from citizens.
During the operation, several of the detained individuals attempted to project influence by mentioning political affiliations and claiming acquaintances with BKTTC officials, with some chanting slogans identifying as “Jiar Sainik”.
Addressing these attempts, the SRB-4 chief warned that legal action would be taken against any government official or institutional employee found complicit in the scam.
He emphasized that no culprit would be spared, and neither personal connections nor political identity would shield anyone from criminal liability.
