The scourge of forged certificates
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
Fakrul Alam
THE Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) raided a house in Mirpur in the capital sometime back where a medical diploma training centre was set up five years ago on the basis of a forged authorisation from the health department. The operators of the bogus centre have been issuing certificates on diplomas in nursing, pathology, ultrasonography, etc., in exchange of money from the certificate buyers.
The operator of the bogus centre confessed, following his arrest, that none of the trainers had the required education and no training was imparted to those who came to there for certificates. The certificates were sold only for money and the centre used its signboard to allure the customers to it. No one know how many people bought certificates from the centre and got jobs to create serious risks to the patients, who took their services, without knowing their worth. Someone, who gets the specialised job of a medical technician without the needed education and training, only poses a threat to the life of the unsuspecting patient.
Such bogus certificates are being issued in other fields as well. A ring at Mirpur engaged in forging certificates was earlier unearthed also by the RAB. The ring leader of the racket had confessed after arrest, that he had been forging certificates since 1988. A large number of certificates of different public and private universities were seized during the raid. Seeing the certificates, it was difficult to say whether or not they were genuine.
The alleged offenders confessed that they had been forging certificates not only of public and private universities but also of medical and engineering colleges, universities and polytechnic institutes. They sold the forged certificates to the underground buyers, some of whom got teaching jobs with such certificates.
According to media reports, the RAB found out from the arrested offenders that such certificate holders deceive employers to get jobs. So, would it be wrong to assume that a considerable number of people have got responsible jobs in government and private offices, banks, insurance companies and other enterprises on the strength of forged certificates? It should be obvious that these employees pose a threat to the organisations, they are serving.
Clearly, the RAB should question the arrested members of the racket to know the details of all the buyers of the certificates to track them down. It would not be difficult then to find out the organisations they are serving. All employers should be warned, through the media, to rigorously check the genuineness of certificates submitted by job seekers. There are possibly not too many rackets making forged certificates. But the detection of the two rackets at Mirpur should alert the law enforcement agencies to go for thorough search across the country to hunt down others if there are any. Such crimes are absolutely unacceptable. No society can allow this crime to flourish. At stake is the proper functioning of private and public organisations.
THE Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) raided a house in Mirpur in the capital sometime back where a medical diploma training centre was set up five years ago on the basis of a forged authorisation from the health department. The operators of the bogus centre have been issuing certificates on diplomas in nursing, pathology, ultrasonography, etc., in exchange of money from the certificate buyers.
The operator of the bogus centre confessed, following his arrest, that none of the trainers had the required education and no training was imparted to those who came to there for certificates. The certificates were sold only for money and the centre used its signboard to allure the customers to it. No one know how many people bought certificates from the centre and got jobs to create serious risks to the patients, who took their services, without knowing their worth. Someone, who gets the specialised job of a medical technician without the needed education and training, only poses a threat to the life of the unsuspecting patient.
Such bogus certificates are being issued in other fields as well. A ring at Mirpur engaged in forging certificates was earlier unearthed also by the RAB. The ring leader of the racket had confessed after arrest, that he had been forging certificates since 1988. A large number of certificates of different public and private universities were seized during the raid. Seeing the certificates, it was difficult to say whether or not they were genuine.
The alleged offenders confessed that they had been forging certificates not only of public and private universities but also of medical and engineering colleges, universities and polytechnic institutes. They sold the forged certificates to the underground buyers, some of whom got teaching jobs with such certificates.
According to media reports, the RAB found out from the arrested offenders that such certificate holders deceive employers to get jobs. So, would it be wrong to assume that a considerable number of people have got responsible jobs in government and private offices, banks, insurance companies and other enterprises on the strength of forged certificates? It should be obvious that these employees pose a threat to the organisations, they are serving.
Clearly, the RAB should question the arrested members of the racket to know the details of all the buyers of the certificates to track them down. It would not be difficult then to find out the organisations they are serving. All employers should be warned, through the media, to rigorously check the genuineness of certificates submitted by job seekers. There are possibly not too many rackets making forged certificates. But the detection of the two rackets at Mirpur should alert the law enforcement agencies to go for thorough search across the country to hunt down others if there are any. Such crimes are absolutely unacceptable. No society can allow this crime to flourish. At stake is the proper functioning of private and public organisations.