PSC question leak: N'ganj passport office guard Shahadat has assets worth Tk10-12 crore 

Shahadat Hossain, one of the 17 accused arrested in a case filed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in connection with the Public Service Commission (PSC) question paper leak, has assets worth Tk10-12 crores in Dhaka, Narayanganj and Natore.

By profession, 47-year-old Shahadat is a security guard at the Narayanganj district office of the Directorate of Passports and Immigration. He was arrested in a case filed over leaking the question paper of Bangladesh Railway Deputy Assistant Engineer recruitment test under the PSC on 5 July.

Hailing from Natore's Singra, Shahadat owns a house worth a few crore taka at Ibrahimpur in Kafrul, Mirpur-14 in the capital, and a few bighas of land in Narayanganj. He also purchased land in Natore, said sources from the CID. 

Visiting his house in Kafrul on Friday (12 July), it was observed that Shahadat's arrest in the question leak scandal has heightened the curiosity among locals regarding his house. However, the security guard of the house remained tight-lipped and did not allow anyone to enter inside. Journalists were also prevented from taking pictures.

However, on the condition of anonymity, a local resident told The Business Standard that the price of each plot of land in Mirpur's Kafrul-Ibrahimpur area is Tk60-70 lakhs. The cost of the house of Shahadat, including the land, will be more than Tk3 crores.

Until his arrest, Shahadat was known among locals as a high-ranked official, concealing his identity as a security guard of Narayanganj passport office. 

Shahadat got introduced to Syed Abed Ali, Khalilur Rahman and Sajedul Islam – the masterminds of the PSC question paper leak – through his job at the passport office.

Over the past 6–7 years, Shahadat has accumulated assets valued at Tk10-12 crore through the earnings from leaking question papers for various recruitment tests administered by the Public Service Commission. Mamunur Rashid, office assistant cum computer operator of the Directorate of Passport and Immigration, Dhaka Head Office, aided him in the crime. Meanwhile, Mamunur has also been arrested and sent to jail.

Suspects absconding, stopped communicating on phones 

In addition to the 17 individuals who have been arrested over the PSC question leak scandal, there are others who are also implicated in this matter, according to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Officials related to the investigation said at least 10-12 former and current officials of the PSC are involved in the PSC question paper leak, most of whom have gone into hiding. 

On the condition of anonymity, a CID official told The Business Standard that many of the suspects have stopped communicating on mobile phones. "So, it has become difficult to trace their location." 

The suspects, who are currently absconding, are – Nikhil Chandra Roy, former assistant director of PSC, Mohammad Shariful Islam Bhuiyan, Dipak Banik, Khorshed Alam, Kazi Md Sumon, AKM Golam Parvez, Mehedi Hasan Khan, Golam Hamidul, Mizanul Rahman, Atiqul Islam, ATM Mostafa, Mahfuz Kalu, Aslam, among 50-60 others, CID sources said.