4 held as govt job impersonation racket unearthed

The Ministry of Public Administration has filed a criminal case against four jobseekers after exposing an alleged impersonation racket in the recruitment process for Office Assistant (Grade-20), officials said on Sunday.

They are Md. A Alim of Tangail, Md. Ali Haider of Sirajganj, Md. Russell Rana Liton of Kurigram, and Md. Masud Fakir of Gazipur. 

Following the detection of the alleged fraud, the ministry filed a criminal case and handed the four over to police. According to an official report, the Ministry of Public Administration published a recruitment notice on May 5, 2026, inviting applications for the posts of Stenographer-cum-Computer Operator (Grade-13) and Office Assistant (Grade-20).

For the Office Assistant position alone, 23,709 candidates applied. Of them, 9,318 candidates appeared in the written examination held on June 19. After evaluation, 107 candidates qualified for the viva voce examination, which was conducted on June 24, 25 and 28.

The ministry published the final results on July 6 and subsequently issued appointment letters to 20 successful candidates, instructing them to join their posts on July 19. However, when the selected candidates reported for joining, ministry officials noticed discrepancies between four candidates and the photographs taken during the viva examinations.

During questioning, the four candidates reportedly admitted that they had not personally appeared before the viva board. Instead, they confessed that other individuals had impersonated them during the oral examinations. Officials said the accused also submitted written confessional statements acknowledging the misconduct and their involvement in the alleged recruitment fraud.

Based on the findings, the ministry filed a formal criminal case and they were handed over to law enforcement authorities for legal proceedings.

Authorities are expected to continue the investigation to identify any additional persons who may have been involved in facilitating the alleged impersonation during the recruitment process.