COX'S BAZAR, Aug 21, 2025 (BSS) - The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a charge sheet against five individuals before a court here in a case of assisting a Rohingya woman in Cox's Bazar to obtain a Bangladeshi passport.
Tushar Ahmed, Assistant Director of the ACC's Cox's Bazar Integrated District Office (currently working at the Narayanganj Integrated District Office), submitted the charge sheet in the Cox's Bazar Senior Special Judge's Court on Wednesday.
The accused against whom the charge sheet has been submitted are Rafiqul Islam, former councilor and panel mayor-2 of Ward No. 11 of Cox's Bazar Municipality, Mizanur Rahman, former councilor of Ward No. 2, Md. Helal Uddin Badsha, a resident of the New Baharchhara area of ??Cox's Bazar Municipality, and ASI Sajedur Rahman of the Special Branch (DSB) of Cox's Bazar District Police.
Abdur Rahim, lawyer of the ACC's Cox's Bazar court confirmed the matter to BSS.
A woman named Yasmin Akhter went to the Cox's Bazar Regional Passport Office on June 7, 2017, claiming to be a resident of Ward No. 2 of Cox's Bazar Municipality, and applied for a passport.
She identified her father as the deceased Mohammad Hossain and her mother as Nur Nahar Begum also submitted a national identity card and citizenship certificate signed by the concerned ward councillor.
In addition, photocopies of the birth certificate, nationality certificate, and certificate issued in the name of Yasmin Akhter have been attested by Ward No. 11 Councillor and Panel Mayor-2 of Cox's Bazar Municipality Rafiqul Islam.
However, the woman named Yasmin Akhter, who was given these documents as Bangladeshi,is actually a Rohingya citizen of Myanmar. Her real name is Nurunnahar Begum. She is a resident of Kutupalong Rohingya camp in Ukhia upazila of Cox's Bazar. Her home is in Maungdaw, Rakhine area of ??Myanmar.
The ACC investigation report stated that photocopies of Yasmin Akhter's birth certificate, nationality certificate, and certificate were attested and she was known by Ward Councilor Mizanur Rahman.
In addition, Councillor Mizanur Rahman sealed and signed the documents with the serial number 19961 of the woman's certificate.
A person named Helal Uddin Badsha, a resident of Ward No. 2 of Cox's Bazar Municipality, obtained a Bangladeshi nationality certificate from the Rohingya woman as his sister.
Not only that, the then ASI Sajedur Rahman of the Cox's Bazar District Police Special Branch (DSB) signed the police report on behalf of the Rohingya woman named Yasmin Akhter.
On March 25, 2021, the ACC filed a case against seven people for assisting Rohingya woman Yasmin Akhter in various ways to obtain a Bangladeshi passport.
The case was filed by the then Deputy Assistant Director of the ACC's Integrated District Office Chittagong-2, Md. Sharif Uddin, as the plaintiff.
The accused in the case are Rafiqul Islam, former councilor and panel mayor-2 of Ward No. 11 of Cox's Bazar Municipality, Mizanur Rahman, former councilor of Ward No. 2, Jabed Mohammad Kaiser Noble, former councilor of Ward No. 10, Md. Helal Uddin Badsha, a resident of the Notun Baharchhara area of ??Cox's Bazar Municipality, ASI Sajedur Rahman of the Special Branch (DSB) of Cox's Bazar District Police, and former inspector Prabhash Chandra Dhar.
After a long investigation into the case, the ACC submitted the charge sheet to the court against five people on Wednesday.
The names of former inspector Prabhash Chandra Dhar of the Special Branch (DSB) of Cox's Bazar District Police and former councilor of Ward No. 10 of Cox's Bazar Municipality were dropped from the charge sheet as their involvement was not found.