The district administration has fined a vessel for involvement in travel pass forgery on the Cox’s Bazar–St Martin’s Island route, as authorities step up enforcement of the newly introduced QR code–based travel pass system.
The vessel LCT Kajol was fined Tk1 lakh after officials detected forgery related to St Martin’s travel passes. During the operation, 25 people were detained while attempting to board the ship without valid passes.
All of them are residents of Tangail.
The action was taken on Thursday morning following a drive conducted on the vessel by district administration Executive Magistrate Nafis Intesar Nafi, who uncovered a syndicate involved in ticket and travel pass forgery.
Seven members of the group were later identified.
The detained tourists said they were brought to Cox’s Bazar at different times of the night under the guidance of tour guide Rifat ul Hasan through the online group ‘Hilsha Tourism’.
They also alleged that two ship officials, Rafique and Anik, assisted them.
The district administration has arranged refunds of ticket money for the affected tourists. As the ship officials were not present during the drive, instructions have been given to take legal action against them.
Executive Magistrate Nafis Intesar Nafi said regular drives against such illegal activities would continue to protect the environment and biodiversity of St Martin’s Island, adding that authorities remain committed to ensuring safe and orderly travel for tourists.
To protect the island’s environment and biodiversity, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has fixed a daily cap of 2,000 tourists.
Passenger ship services on the Cox’s Bazar–St Martin’s route resumed on 1December after a 10-month suspension. Travellers must purchase tickets online through a Bangladesh Tourism Board–approved portal, which includes a QR code–enabled travel pass. Tickets without a QR code are considered invalid.
