Staff Reporter, Dhaka : Four job aspirants were apprehended for engaging in fraudulent ‘proxy’ activity while attending the oral examination for the surveyor position in the management department of the Ministry of Lands under the revenue sector.

Four individuals involved in the fraudulent activity have been identified: Md. Rakibul Islam (23), a permanent resident of East Bhavanipur village in Santhia upazila of Pabna district; Zahirul Islam (22), a permanent resident of Kail village in Daulatpur upazila of Manikganj district; Md. Hiron Shikdar (23), hailing from Dakshin Dighaldi village in Sadar Upazila of Bhola District; and Md. Omar Farooq Shubo (24), residing in Kankadia village in Baufal upazila of Patuakhali district. These individuals had others take the written test on their behalf.

During the oral examination of these four individuals at the Bangladesh Secretariat, Ministry of Land, on Thursday afternoon, the VIVA board members became apprehensive. When questioned regarding their conduct, they openly confessed to the fraudulent acts.

Presided over by Pradip Kumar Das, additional secretary of the Land Ministry, the members of the Viva Board were matching the handwriting and performance of the oral examination with the handwriting and marks obtained in the written examination answer sheet of all the candidates. During this process, the Viva Board grew suspicious due to the disparities observed in the candidates’ subject knowledge, handwriting, and the marks obtained in the written exam and obtained number. Subsequently, during the interrogation, the individuals confessed to enlisting others to take the written tests on their behalf. They were apprehended for engaging in cheating while participating in their separate oral examinations.

They have already been handed over to the law enforcement agencies for their involvement in fraud. A case has been registered to apprehend the individuals who impersonated the four candidates during the written test. The authorities are currently conducting investigations into these fraudulent individuals.

In the meantime, the Ministry of Land has issued a public notice on June 5, 2023, cautioning job aspirants about illegal financial transactions and fraudulent intermediaries.

On January 31, 2023, the Ministry of Land announced the recruitment of 281 surveyors (grade 14) in the management department under the revenue sector. However, out of the applicants, only 220 successfully passed the written exam held on June 2, 2023. The qualified candidates are scheduled to undergo a four-day long oral examination starting today, which marks the first day of the oral exams.