The Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) will no longer form the immigration police at Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport.
On October 12, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained 39 people who were going abroad illegally. They claimed that the immigration police had helped them in lieu of large sums of money. After the immigration police’s involvement was detected, the CMP was taken off from that duty, said police sources.
The Special Branch (SB) of Dhaka formally took over the charge yesterday. It will directly control and monitor the immigration department of Shah Amanat International Airport.
There were also allegations that CMP members on immigration police duty were involved in human trafficking. However, CMP commissioner Iqbal Bahar denied the allegations of corruption and involvement in human trafficking. He said, “Gradually, all airport and land port immigration will be transferred to SB. As part of the decision, immigration controls of two airports were handed over to SB.”
“The allegation of immigration police’s involvement in human trafficking and corruption is not true. There is provision for punishment for anyone involved in such illegal activities. No one can evade the law,” added Bahar. The airport manager, Wing Commander Reazul Kabir, told The Independent, “SB Dhaka has formally started duties at the airport. From now on, it will control and monitor immigration.”
For immigration checks, a team of 83 police personnel has been created, which will be led by a special superintendent of police. Primarily, 44 members have been assigned. Earlier, 61 CMP members were on immigration duty at the airport, led by an additional deputy commissioner. They will hand over charge within 10 days, said sources in the immigration police.
However, there seemed to be some discontent in CMP over the handover of the charge to Dhaka SB. They claimed that some policemen were posted at immigration by means of corruption and that the situation arose because officers from the SB were not appointed.
CMP members of different departments allegedly lobbied to be appointed in immigration police. The reasons behind such eagerness to be appointed in immigration were bribery and corruption, said some CMP officers on the condition of anonymity. The October 12 incident was investigated by the SB’s additional deputy inspector general (DIG) Alamgir Alam. He also visited Shah Amanat Airport on October 29 and found the allegations to be true, said sources in the police. Immigration control of Shah Amanat International Airport has been transferred to SB on the basis of his report.