Multiple MRPs, no problem

Having more than one machine-readable passport (MRP) might be a cakewalk for criminals and runaways, especially if they choose to emulate the kind of fraud committed by Md Mamum Mia, a well-known smuggler with police records, who has obtained no less than three MRPs under different names and addresses using the same photograph and set of fingerprints. This has raised the obvious question: How can one person obtain more than one MRP by hoodwinking a set of strict security measures? The director general of the Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP), Brig. Gen. Md Masud Rezwan, however, admitted that some people have obtained more than one MRP through “mis-fingering” or taking imprints of wrong fingers.   
Mamun visited Bahrain three times over the past 11 years using three different MRPs, only changing his real name and addresses. For the first time, he obtained a hand written (now obsolete) passport (E-0707999) and visited Bahrain. The authorities there expelled him from the country in 2007 on charges of carrying out criminal activities.
After returning from Bahrain, Mamun again entered that country using another passport (AF-5007575), this time an MRP, as Md Mamun Mia. But, he was again expelled by the authorities in 2013.
Mamun availed yet another MRP (BJ-0737611) as Md Sharfin to enter Bahrain for the third time. However, the authorities deported him again in 2015.
Afterwards, Mamun made another MRP (BC-0039698), as Marajul Islam.  
The authorities of the immigration and passports department are at a loss to explain how a person can obtain three MRPs with the same photograph and set of fingerprints.
The authorities concerned are yet to take any action against Mamun even after receiving a letter in this regard from the Bangladesh ambassador in Bahrain, Maj. Gen. KM Mominur Rahman, last year. The ambassador recently sent another letter to the authorities concerned to take action against Mamun. In his recent letter, Rahman said, “Mamun Mia made several visits to Bahrain and stayed there under different names and passports. There are reports of his involvement in wide-scale criminal activities in Bahrain including human trafficking, gambling, prostitution, drug trading, terrorising people, mugging, etc. He was deported from Bahrain several times for his criminal acts. He managed to enter Bahrain following his deportations, using different names and passports.”
“It is very surprising that even after my letter last year (2015), where I mentioned that he already got two MRPs under two different names, he again managed to obtain a third MRP under another name,” the letter continued.
“A case (No. 1574/2015) was lodged against Mamun Mia on May 23, 2015. Knowing his past record, the Bahrain authorities deported him again to Bangladesh without any other punishment,” the letter further said.
An investigation found that all the MRPs obtained by Mamun were delivered from the DIP office at Jatrabari in the capital, its Agargaon headquarters and from Bahrain.
Mamun is not the sole person to avail multiple MRPs as police recently detained a person with three MRPs from the city’s Uttara area and the recently arrested Gulshan café attack financier Abdur Rahman also had more than one MRP.
DIP Director General (DG) Brig. Gen. Md Masud Rezwan said that one person cannot use and keep in his possession multiple MRPs as per the existing passport law.
“But, we have detected a racket involved in issuing multiple MRPs by ‘mis-fingering’ (taking imprints of wrong fingers) after accepting financial benefits from the applicants,” he said.
“Mamun Mia obtained an MRP as Sharfin by ‘mis-fingering’, managing an employee of the passport department in 2015,” he added.
“Of the two other MRPs of Mamun Mia, one was issued from the Jatrabari office against the name of Marajul Islam in 2014 without any police verification report while the other was issued as Mamun Miah in Bahrain in 2013 after replacing his hand written passport,” the DIP boss added.
Acknowledging the possibility of issuance of multiple MRPs for one person in many cases, the DIP DG said, “It is not unlikely as we have detained a person with three MRPs from the city’s Uttara area recently.”
He also informed that they have detected four employees of the department involved with the “mis-fingering” racket and that the offenders will be fired soon.
The chief of the DIP explained how multiple MRPs could be issued to one applicant through the intake of improper finger impressions.  
He said, “Usually, we take impressions of thumb and index fingers of both the hands during enrolment of an MRP. But, instead of taking imprints of thumb and index fingers, some dishonest operators were taking impressions of middle and ring fingers of the applicant that is completely illegal.”
“If such fingerprints are taken of an applicant in an anomalous way, then the applicants can get the opportunity to get an MRP cheating the existing software,” the DG of DIP added.
When asked about Mamun, he said they will cancel all the MRPs issued to him and that he would be blacklisted. “The DIP will file a general diary against Mamun Mia for keeping multiple MRPs in his possession,” the DIP DG said.
The DIP boss also said that to avoid recurrence of such anomalies, the department will soon introduce e-passports where imprints of all ten fingers of both the hands and eye iris will be taken.
When the issue of Mamun Mia was taken into the notice of senior secretary to the home ministry Md. Mozammel Haque Khan, he said, “We will ask the authorities concerned to punish Mamun Mia.”
Sources in the DIP said criminals and militants in connivance with a section of corrupt employees of the passport department usually resort to such malpractice.
According to sources, 1.50 crore MRPs have been issued so far. All the Bangladesh missions abroad have introduced MRPs after the
government introduced MRPs in the country on April 1, 2010 to speed up clearance procedures and enhance travellers’ security.

Multiple MRPs, no problem

Having more than one machine-readable passport (MRP) might be a cakewalk for criminals and runaways, especially if they choose to emulate the kind of fraud committed by Md Mamum Mia, a well-known smuggler with police records, who has obtained no less than three MRPs under different names and addresses using the same photograph and set of fingerprints. This has raised the obvious question: How can one person obtain more than one MRP by hoodwinking a set of strict security measures? The director general of the Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP), Brig. Gen. Md Masud Rezwan, however, admitted that some people have obtained more than one MRP through mis-fingering or taking imprints of wrong fingers. Mamun visited Bahrain three times over the past 11 years using three different MRPs, only changing his real name and addresses. For the first time, he obtained a hand written (now obsolete) passport (E-0707999) and visited Bahrain. The authorities there expelled him from the country in 2007 on charges of carrying out criminal activities. After returning from Bahrain, Mamun again entered that country using another passport (AF-5007575), this time an MRP, as Md Mamun Mia. But, he was again expelled by the authorities in 2013. Mamun availed yet another MRP (BJ-0737611) as Md Sharfin to enter Bahrain for the third time. However, the authorities deported him again in 2015. Afterwards, Mamun made another MRP (BC-0039698), as Marajul Islam. The authorities of the immigration and passports department are at a loss to explain how a person can obtain three MRPs with the same photograph and set of fingerprints. The authorities concerned are yet to take any action against Mamun even after receiving a letter in this regard from the Bangladesh ambassador in Bahrain, Maj. Gen. KM Mominur Rahman, last year. The ambassador recently sent another letter to the authorities concerned to take action against Mamun. In his recent letter, Rahman said, Mamun Mia made several visits to Bahrain and stayed there under different names and passports. There are reports of his involvement in wide-scale criminal activities in Bahrain including human trafficking, gambling, prostitution, drug trading, terrorising people, mugging, etc. He was deported from Bahrain several times for his criminal acts. He managed to enter Bahrain following his deportations, using different names and passports. It is very surprising that even after my letter last year (2015), where I mentioned that he already got two MRPs under two different names, he again managed to obtain a third MRP under another name, the letter continued. A case (No. 1574/2015) was lodged against Mamun Mia on May 23, 2015. Knowing his past record, the Bahrain authorities deported him again to Bangladesh without any other punishment, the letter further said. An investigation found that all the MRPs obtained by Mamun were delivered from the DIP office at Jatrabari in the capital, its Agargaon headquarters and from Bahrain. Mamun is not the sole person to avail multiple MRPs as police recently detained a person with three MRPs from the citys Uttara area and the recently arrested Gulshan caf attack financier Abdur Rahman also had more than one MRP. DIP Director General (DG) Brig. Gen. Md Masud Rezwan said that one person cannot use and keep in his possession multiple MRPs as per the existing passport law. But, we have detected a racket involved in issuing multiple MRPs by mis-fingering (taking imprints of wrong fingers) after accepting financial benefits from the applicants, he said. Mamun Mia obtained an MRP as Sharfin by mis-fingering, managing an employee of the passport department in 2015, he added. Of the two other MRPs of Mamun Mia, one was issued from the Jatrabari office against the name of Marajul Islam in 2014 without any police verification report while the other was issued as Mamun Miah in Bahrain in 2013 after replacing his hand written passport, the DIP boss added. Acknowledging the possibility of issuance of multiple MRPs for one person in many cases, the DIP DG said, It is not unlikely as we have detained a person with three MRPs from the citys Uttara area recently. He also informed that they have detected four employees of the department involved with the mis-fingering racket and that the offenders will be fired soon. The chief of the DIP explained how multiple MRPs could be issued to one applicant through the intake of improper finger impressions. He said, Usually, we take impressions of thumb and index fingers of both the hands during enrolment of an MRP. But, instead of taking imprints of thumb and index fingers, some dishonest operators were taking impressions of middle and ring fingers of the applicant that is completely illegal. If such fingerprints are taken of an applicant in an anomalous way, then the applicants can get the opportunity to get an MRP cheating the existing software, the DG of DIP added. When asked about Mamun, he said they will cancel all the MRPs issued to him and that he would be blacklisted. The DIP will file a general diary against Mamun Mia for keeping multiple MRPs in his possession, the DIP DG said. The DIP boss also said that to avoid recurrence of such anomalies, the department will soon introduce e-passports where imprints of all ten fingers of both the hands and eye iris will be taken. When the issue of Mamun Mia was taken into the notice of senior secretary to the home ministry Md. Mozammel Haque Khan, he said, We will ask the authorities concerned to punish Mamun Mia. Sources in the DIP said criminals and militants in connivance with a section of corrupt employees of the passport department usually resort to such malpractice. According to sources, 1.50 crore MRPs have been issued so far. All the Bangladesh missions abroad have introduced MRPs after the government introduced MRPs in the country on April 1, 2010 to speed up clearance procedures and enhance travellers security.