Jessore Correspondent:

The district administration has arrested a fraudster named Md. Abdus Salam (67) on charges of enjoying various benefits for a long time at Jessore Circuit House by pretending to be a high-ranking government official. On Wednesday afternoon, when his identity seemed suspicious while he was at the Circuit House, the district administration officials questioned him and after confirming the fraud, handed him over to the Kotwali Police Station.

The arrested Abdus Salam is the son of the late Elahi Box Gazi of Helanchi village of Khedapara union of Monirampur upazila. He has visited the Circuit House at least three times in the last three months, sometimes introducing himself as the Deputy Commissioner of Rangpur district, and sometimes as the Additional Secretary of various ministries. Each time, he used to receive various government facilities including accommodation and food prescribed for state guests free of cost. According to administrative sources, he used to work in a private organization in the past and has no connection with government service in any way.

On Wednesday afternoon, the responsible officials expressed suspicion after seeing his speech, behavior and reluctance to show his identity card at the Circuit House. Present were Jessore Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer SM Shaheen, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Education) Masum Billah, Acting Zonal Settlement Officer Md. Zakir Hossain and NDC Rezwan Sardar. At one stage of the interrogation, he failed to give a correct explanation of his identity. Later, after checking his village address, it was found that he was not a government official and had not held any government position in the past. This confirmed that he had been repeatedly staying at the Circuit House by creating his identity through fraud.

The administration believes that entering the Circuit House as a high-ranking government official is not only a fraud to gain financial benefits, but also a risk to national security. If you enter the rooms, food and other facilities designated for government guests through fraud, there is a risk of leakage of important information, unwanted entry into reserved areas and disruption of security. Therefore, the matter is being looked into seriously and the administration has said that steps will be taken to tighten the security and verification process of the Circuit House.

Meanwhile, the police are investigating the purpose of Abdus Salam's fraud, or whether he is linked to any organized group. A detailed examination of the seized items, including his mobile phone and documents, is also underway. Meanwhile, a wide discussion has started among the general public in the Circuit House area after the incident. Many are questioning how a person was able to enjoy government benefits for a long time by posing as a high-ranking bureaucrat. However, others believe that it was possible to easily mistake him for a high-ranking official due to his age, appearance, manner of speaking and confidence.

The district administration says that in order to prevent such fraud in the future, the process of verifying the identity cards of the guests, confirming their designations and comparing them with the government database will be made stricter. As the investigation progresses, more information is likely to be obtained about his fraud pattern, previous activities and possible associates. Finally, the Jessore district administration has put an end to the innovative fraud of this fake 'additional secretary' who had been hiding his identity and enjoying government benefits for a long time.