Bangladesh

Job exam leak racket signed Tk 10 lakh contracts and kept certificates, SRB says

Investigators say candidates for the assistant upazila youth development officer post had to hand over their original education certificates and promise Tk 10 lakh, after the test was postponed on 10 October.

ScrollBeat DeskPublished: 18 Oct 2026, 11:00Updated: 18 Oct 2026, 11:00

File photo of candidates sitting an examination at Curzon Hall in Dhaka. Credit: Syed Sajidul Islam, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Syed Sajidul Islam, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

A racket that leaked a government recruitment exam made jobseekers sign stamped agreements worth Tk 10 lakh and held their original education certificates until the full amount was paid, investigators said.

The case concerns recruitment to the post of assistant upazila youth development officer at the Department of Youth Development. The test was due to be held on 10 October 2026 but was postponed shortly before it began, after the question paper spread on social media and candidates blocked roads in Dhaka in protest.

Members of the Special Response Battalion (SRB) arrested seven people in raids in Dhaka and elsewhere between 14 and 16 October. Those held include Nur Mohammad, 30, an office assistant at the National Board of Revenue; computer operators Md Jahangir, 38, and SM Imdadul Islam, 35; Asadul Islam, 33, an office assistant at the Ministry of Defence; Md Rubel Islam, 33, a data entry operator at the Department of Environment; and Mofizul Islam, 23, and Md Hasinur Rahman, also known as Sujon.

Officers seized 116 stamps of Tk 100 each, the certificates of 10 candidates and cheque leaves signed by about 40 jobseekers, along with bank cheque books, the SRB said.

Lieutenant Colonel Faizul Arefin, commander of SRB-3, said the group took a written, stamped commitment of Tk 10 lakh from each candidate in return for the questions and answers. Candidates who could not pay everything in advance handed over signed cheque leaves of Tk 2 lakh to Tk 3 lakh each, he added.

According to the investigation, a blurred photograph of the question paper reached Nur Mohammad, an office assistant at the revenue board, at 4:43am on 10 October. A clearer image reached Jahangir, a computer operator at the same office, at about 6:15am. Answers were then prepared and passed to other members of the gang and on to candidates and buyers, the SRB said.

A case was filed at Motijheel police station on 11 October by Md Atikur Rahman, deputy director (administration) of the Department of Youth Development. Officials said the file would be handed to the Criminal Investigation Department, and the youth and sports ministry has formed a five-member committee to look into the leak.

About 318,976 candidates had been cleared to sit the test for 242 posts. A fresh exam was held on Friday, 16 October.

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A Bornean orangutan in Kalimantan, Indonesia (file photo). Conservation teams have evacuated dozens of orangutans from fires in the province since August 2026. Photo: Ridwan0810 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Ridwan0810, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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ScrollBeat Desk18 Oct 2026, 11:58Open this article

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman addressing an Armed Forces programme at Dhaka Cantonment on 12 April 2026 (file photo). Photo: Press Information Department, Government of Bangladesh, via Wikimedia Commons. Press Information Department (PID), Government of Bangladesh, via Wikimedia Commons

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The units honoured this year were the President Guard Regiment, 7 Field Regiment Artillery, 32 Field Regiment Artillery, 25 Air Defence Regiment, 9 Engineer Battalion, 56 East Bengal Regiment and 57 East Bengal Regiment. The ceremony was organised by the 9th Infantry Division.

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Technology could never replace people, the prime minister said, calling for an integrated defence capability in which the Army, Navy and Air Force could act together when needed.

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He said protecting national interests, sovereignty and dignity would remain a core commitment, and that Bangladesh wanted to strengthen friendship and cooperation with all countries on the basis of mutual respect and equality.