Staff Correspondent

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police has arrested 17 people, including some senior officers and employees of Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC), on charges of leaking question papers of about 30 recruitment tests, including Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS), in the last 12 years.

The arrestees are PSC Deputy Directors Abu Jafor and Jahangir Alam, Assistant Directors Alamgir Kabir and Khalilur Rahman, Office Assistant (Dispatch) Sajedul Islam, Syed Abed Ali, ex-driver of the PSC chairman, Abed’s son Syed Sohanur Rahman Siam, former Army member Noman Siddique, ex-student of Dhaka University Abu Solaiman alias Sohel, auditor Priyonath Roy, businessman Jahidul Islam, security guard of Narayanganj Passport Office Shahadat Hossain, Mamunur Rashid, Niamul Hasan, Sakhawat Hossain, Sayem Hossain and Liton Sarkar.

The CID members arrested them from the capital and some other parts of the country, Azad Rahman, superintendent of police (Media) of the CID, told the Daily Sun.

He said the CID has been investigating the PSC question paper leakage for long and a case is underway against the arrestees.

On Sunday night, a private television channel aired an investigative report on the leak of the PSC question papers.

The sources said the CID launched a drive to apprehend those involved in the crimes after the report.

According to the TV report, Deputy Directors Abu Jafor and Jahangir Alam, Assistant Directors SM Alamgir Kabir and Nikhil Chandra Roy, Office Assistant Khalilur Rahman and Abed Ali were, among others, involved in leaking the question papers.

The question papers for the test of the Bangladesh Railway deputy assistant engineer post, which was held on 5 July, were leaked about an hour before the examination.

Besides, the job seekers, who had a contract with the syndicate, were taught on the questions at an unknown place on 4 July night.

One of the syndicate members told the television channel that Abu Jafor leaked the question in exchange for Tk2 crore.

He said the question papers of the 45th BCS preliminary test were also leaked.

Following the report, the PSC in a statement on Monday claimed that all the examinations in the last 12 years were held in a fair manner.
The report tarnished the image of the constitutional institution, according to the statement.

The PSC said it will look into whether the question papers of the BR deputy assistant engineer post were leaked.

If it is found true, action will be taken against those involved in the crime, it said.