Four held with dual passports
Concerns over possible passport irregularities have emerged after four Bangladeshi passengers arriving from Qatar were found carrying two apparently valid passports each at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Friday, raising questions over how their earlier passports remained active after new ones had been issued.
Immigration officials allowed the passengers to enter the country but seized the passports and forwarded the documents, along with notices, to the Special Branch headquarters for further investigation, airport sources said.
Under the existing rules, an earlier passport is generally required to be surrendered or revoked when a new one is issued.
Rule 9 of the Bangladesh Passport Rules, 1974, states that a person holding a passport or travel document is generally not entitled to another unless
the existing document is surrendered.
The rules, however, permit separate passports in specific circumstances where this is necessary to facilitate travel to different countries.
One of the passengers, Ridoy Sheikh, was found carrying an earlier passport issued on December 20, 2023, valid until December 19, 2028, and another issued on September 20 this year, valid until September 19, 2031. Both documents bear the same personal number.
Similarly, Md Munna had an earlier passport issued on November 4, 2024, valid until November 3, 2029, and a second passport issued on September 20 this year, valid until September 19, 2031. Both also carry the same personal number.
Airport immigration sources said the earlier passports appeared not to have been revoked in the Department of Immigration and Passports’ database before the newer documents were issued.
A senior immigration official said similar cases had been detected from time to time and could create serious complications for immigration authorities.
The official said the passport database should be strengthened so that an existing passport is automatically flagged and dealt with when a replacement or additional passport is issued.
Md Kamrul Islam, special superintendent of immigration (operations) at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, confirmed the incident.
He said the passengers were allowed to enter Bangladesh, while their passports were seized and sent to the Special Branch headquarters for further action.
The passengers would be able to collect their passports after providing satisfactory explanations and completing the required procedures, he added.
The Bangladesh Passport Order, 1973, empowers passport authorities to impound or revoke passports in specified circumstances, including cases where a document was obtained by suppressing material facts or where passport conditions were violated.
The incident has highlighted gaps in passport management and database controls, prompting calls for closer scrutiny of the issuance and cancellation of travel documents to prevent misuse and possible passport fraud.
