A mobile court operated by SRB-2 has sentenced seven members of a gang of middlemen to various terms of imprisonment following a special drive in the area adjacent to Agargaon Passport Office, Dhaka.
A total of 12 individuals were detained during the operation conducted on Monday.
Major M Mubeen Rahman Tapas, deputy director (Media) of SRB-2, said an operational team of SRB-2 conducted the special raid in Agargaon Passport Office area to stop the harassment of passport service seekers.
During the drive, 12 suspects were detained on suspicion of involvement with the middlemen gang.
Subsequently, a mobile court led by SRB Executive Magistrate Kazi Tamjid Ahmed sentenced seven of them to different terms of imprisonment considering the gravity of their offences.
He informed that among the convicts, one person was sentenced to 10 days of simple imprisonment, two received seven days, and four were given five days of simple imprisonment.
The remaining five detainees were released after primary interrogation revealed no involvement with the middlemen ring.
Tapas said an organised middlemen gang had long been harassing passport service seekers in the area surrounding Agargaon Passport Office.
Members of the gang extracted large sums of money from clients by offering promises to fill out passport forms, attest forms, fulfill paperwork deficiencies, prepare false or fake documents, and expedite passport delivery.
He further said that complaints were received regarding instances where the gang took money without delivering passports, or caused harassment by supplying forged documents.
He added that SRB-2’s drives and vigilance against the middlemen gang centred around the Agargaon Passport Office will continue.
