Law enforcement agencies have arrested an individual accused of impersonating the Cabinet Secretary and attempting to obtain sensitive information from Bangladesh’s diplomatic missions abroad.
The matter came to light after the suspect used the phone number +8801635601121 to contact several foreign missions, including the Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh in Chennai, India; the High Commission of Bangladesh in Abuja, Nigeria; and the Consulate General of Bangladesh in Toronto, Canada.
During these communications, the individual falsely identified himself as the Cabinet Secretary and sought confidential information.
The accused imposter, Sultan uddin Ahmed (46) residing in Badda, was arrested on Saturday near Titumir College in the capital. Confirming the development, Detective Branch chief Shafiqul Islam said the suspect was placed on a two-day remand on Sunday following a court order for interrogation.
A cybersecurity case has been filed against him, and investigators are working to uncover further details about his activities.
Diplomats who were contacted grew suspicious of the requests, noting that it was highly unusual for a Cabinet Secretary to directly seek such sensitive information from missions.
One diplomat said the caller reached out in the first week of April, introduced himself as the Cabinet Secretary, and asked for confidential details.
“I became suspicious and immediately verified with Dhaka. Later I was informed that no such call had been made,” the diplomat said.
A memo issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on April 9 warned that such fraudulent activities pose serious risks to national security, diplomatic relations, and the country’s international image.
The ministry noted that unauthorized access to sensitive information could lead to significant security breaches and undermine trust in official communications.
It also cautioned that continued incidents of this nature could cause serious damage to internal security and foreign relations.
The ministry has directed law enforcement agencies to conduct an urgent investigation, identify all individuals involved in using the number, and take necessary legal action.
Authorities are also assessing whether any sensitive information was compromised and considering measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
