The immigration police have suspended an immigration employee for letting a pilot pass through without a passport. The Cabinet Division has also formed a four-member probe body over the incident.
Captain Fazal Mahmud, who went to Qatar to bring back the prime minister was stuck at Doha as he “forgot to take his passport” with him.
Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Nasima Begum is the convener of the committee while Joint Secretary of home ministry’s Security Division Md Helal Mahmud Chowdhury, Civil Aviation and Tourism Joint Secretary Mustakim Billah Faruqi and Joint Secretary of home ministry’s Public Security Division Md Jahangir Alam are members.
Cabinet Division Senior Assistant Secretary Gazi Tarique Salman said in an order on Friday (Jun 7) that the probe body will look into why the pilot travelled to Doha without a passport.
Moreover, it will also probe any negligence on the immigration authority’s part and identify the lacking of the Immigration and Passport Division.
According to immigration police sources a few people have been interrogated over the incident and they are going over the CCTV footages.
They said that the pilot didn’t cooperate with the immigration officers and they in turn were lenient towards him as he was on the PM’s flight.
“We questioned the employees who were on duty immediately after the incident,” Immigration Police Special Branch Superintendant Mohammad Shahriar told Bangle Tribune.
He added that steps will be taken against those responsible by Jun 7.
Meanwhile, Captain Mahmud said that since everyone was in a festive mood on the occasion of Eid, the immigration missed it.
“If the immigration at Shahjalal had asked for the passport the whole thing could’ve been avoided. To be honest both me and Dhaka immigration made a mistake.
He added that they are usually cleared after the general declaration copy is shown and the fingerprint is scanned. They just have to show the passport before boarding a flight.
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