Youth Development question leak: seven accused remanded for two days as one tells court the candidates were his in-laws

A Dhaka court has granted two days' remand for each of seven accused arrested over the leaking of question papers for a Department of Youth Development recruitment exam. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Joshita Islam passed the order on Sunday after a hearing.

The accused sent on remand are Md Mofizul Islam (27), Md Rubel Islam (33), Md Hasinur Rahman alias Sujan (32), Asadul Islam (31), S M Emdadul Rahman (35), Md Jahangir Alam (38) and Nur Mohammad (30).

Among the accused, Nur Mohammad is an office assistant at the National Board of Revenue (NBR). Md Jahangir Alam and S M Emdadul Rahman are computer operators, Asadul Islam is an office assistant at the defence ministry, and Rubel Islam is a data entry operator at the Department of Environment. Mofizul Islam and Hasinur Rahman have been described in the investigation as members of the question-leak ring.

The case began on 10 October, when the question paper and answers for the assistant youth development officer recruitment exam spread on Facebook shortly before the test. As the leaked questions matched the original paper, the exam was postponed shortly before it was due to start. Law enforcers later arrested the seven over their alleged involvement in the leak.

The investigation found that ring members had struck deals with candidates to provide questions and answers in exchange for Tk 1,000,000. Investigators seized 116 stamps of Tk 100, certificates of 10 jobseekers, bank cheque leaves of 40 people and cheque books from the accused.

On Sunday afternoon, the seven were produced before the court as the investigation officer, CID Cyber Police Centre Additional Special Superintendent of Police Md Mohaiminul Islam, sought seven days' remand for each. In the application he said the accused are active members of a ring that leaks question papers of various government job exams, allegedly taking large sums in cash and cheques from jobseekers under contracts to supply questions before exams and coach them on the answers.

The application also said information suggests more people, including government and private officials and employees and students, are involved with the ring. Preliminary interrogation produced information about the accused's direct involvement, it said, adding that intensive questioning was needed to gather more evidence and arrest other ring members. It also cited fears that the investigation would be hampered and the accused might abscond if released on bail during the probe.

At the hearing, the investigation officer told the court the syndicate had been carrying out such acts for a long time and was an organised ring. A large number of jobseekers' admit cards, bank cheques and information on question transactions were recovered from them, he said, arguing remand was needed for a proper investigation.

Lawyer Khorshed Alam, BNP national executive committee assistant law affairs secretary and a former Dhaka Bar Association president, argued for accused S M Emdadul Rahman. He told the court his client was not named in the FIR, no evidence was recovered from him and he is innocent, claiming he was arrested in the case to harass him. He noted the remand application said nothing specific about his client. At one point the judge told him, 'Speak on the merits. You will speak on the subject of the hearing. You will not speak on other subjects.'

The judge then asked the investigation officer whether any evidence had been recovered from this accused. The officer replied, 'Yes, quite a lot of evidence has been found. He is an important member of this ring.'

For accused Asadul Islam, lawyer Alamgir Hossain sought cancellation of the remand prayer and bail, saying Asadul is innocent and has no involvement in the incident. Looking at the case documents, the judge then told Asadul that many stamps and cheques were found with him and on his phone, including 45 cheque leaves, and asked why he had them and what he did with them.

Asadul Islam replied that he works at the defence ministry. When the judge asked again why he had so many cheques and stamps, Asadul said he has a small business. The judge asked whether the law allows a government employee to run a business. Asadul said the business is in his wife's name. Asked why he had so many documents and admit cards, Asadul said, 'My brothers-in-law were candidates.' The judge said, 'But why on your phone? And so many! What did you do with them?'

State lawyer Kawsar Ahmed opposed the defence submissions, saying the accused had been carrying out these activities for a long time and the investigation officer had found preliminary proof. He told the court they had also planned to leak question papers of 11 more exams. The investigation officer said all seven accused are connected to each other and their activities are extensive. After hearing both sides, the court granted two days' remand for each accused.