Two Rohingya women detained in Chandpur while applying for passports

Two Rohingya women were detained in Chandpur for attempting to obtain passports using fake national identity cards. They were caught at the Chandpur Regional Passport Office on Tuesday afternoon and later handed over to the police.

The detained women are residents of Rohingya Camp No. 2 in Kutupalong, Cox’s Bazar. Chandpur Sadar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Bahar Mia confirmed on Wednesday morning that the two women were sent back to the camp under police escort earlier in the day.

Officials at the Chandpur Regional Passport Office said the two women arrived at the office around 12 noon on Tuesday to apply for passports. Their forged NIDs were detected during the process, after which they admitted to the fraud. During questioning, they stated that a man had contacted them with a promise to take them to Saudi Arabia. They claimed that he arranged the documents for them, though they did not know his identity.

Mahbubur Rahman, Deputy Director of the Chandpur Regional Passport Office, said, “Since police clearance is currently suspended, we are being extra cautious. Still, we remain concerned because Rohingyas might exploit loopholes to obtain passports. We are trying to stay as vigilant as possible.”

The OC of Chandpur Model Police Station said that since the two women were legally residing in the camp, they were escorted back there along with officers and security personnel.