Police detected a SIM card while investigating a fraud case filed with the Mirpur police station. Later, they found that the SIM card was registered using the fingerprint and personal information of certain Farazul Haque, a resident of Baliadangi in Thakurgaon. A mobile financing account was opened using that SIM card. There are records of abnormal transactions of money using this account.
In his confessional statement in the court, Farazul said, “Two people went to his village in 2022. They took his fingerprint, photo and a photocopy of his national ID card in the name of government aid. He was given one kg flour in exchange.
Speaking to Prothom Alo over the phone, Farazul said, “They took his fingerprints several times saying the machine was not working properly.”
Police say the members of this ring took fingerprints in the same way from several persons, including Rupali Begum, 44, of Natore, Anwar Sheikh, 77, of Pabna, Nasima, 44, of Thakurgaon and Afroza Begum, 46, from Natore.
Abu Sayeed Khan, senior policy fellow at the LIRNEasia, a regional telecommunication research organisation, told Prothom Alo, “The government should amend the law allowing registering 15 SIM cards in the name of one person. The number should come down to five. At the same time, the government should have a specific roadmap which will say that one person cannot register more than two SIM cards in his or her name within a specific period of time.
*This report appeared on the print and online versions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Ashish Basu