The Election Commission (EC) has suspended the office assistant of Double-Mooring Thana election office over his involvement in helping Rohingyas obtain fake national identity cards (NID).

EC Deputy Secretary (Discipline and Appeal) Sarkar Md Ashraful Alam issued the suspension order on Monday (Sept 16), reports several media outlets.

On Tuesday (Sept 17) morning, a case was filed against five persons including the EC staff identified as Joynal Abedin for helping Rohingyas get fake NIDs.

Pallabi Chakma, election officer of Double-Mooring Thana Election office filed the case with the city’s Kotwali police station.

Md Mohsin, officer-in-charge (OC) of Kotwali police station said Joynal Abedin, Bijoy Das and his sister Sima Das and two others were made accused in the case filed under Digital Security Act and EC Act.

Bijoy is a driver while his sister Sima is a fourth class employee of a hospital by profession.

Meanwhile, the case has been transferred to the Counter-Terrorism Unit of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP).

Inspector Rajesh Barua of the Counter-Terrorism Unit told the media that he was asked to investigate the case.

Previously on Monday night, the EC staff and two others were detained by the Election Commission for their involvement in helping the Rohingyas obtain fake NIDs.

District Election Officer Munir Hossain Khan said: “We detained three people who were involved with the case.”

“We detained Joynal in the evening and began interrogating him as he had a laptop issued by the commission in his custody. He first said the laptop was missing, however, he confessed later that he gave it to his friend Bijoy.

"Later, the special laptop was recovered from the possession of his sister Sima Das,” the election officer said.