A team of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab-2) yesterday detained three people and recovered several fake national identity (NID) cards, a number of other fake ID cards of various educational institutions, banks and offices from their shops in city's Nilkhet area. Lt Commander Amirul Islam of Rab-2 told The Daily Star, "We recovered three fake NIDs, a large number of other ID cards and certificates bearing names of different offices, banks, educational institutions, and different kinds of licenses during the drive at three shops at Baku Shah market in Nilkhet."
He said, "The fake document providers only sell them to people they know, or 'reliable' customers brought through their known people."
The three men arrested, Saikat Hossain, 24, Alamgir Hossain, 38, and Shafiq Bachchu, 18, said these it is comparatively easy to prepare fake documents with the help of graphics and computers. They said that almost all shops offering computer-based services are capable of preparing such fake documents.
Maj Zia, second-in-command of Rab-2, said that although illegal, the business is lucrative as fake documents remain in high demand, not only in the capital but also in the rest of the country. These fake ID cards are sold illegally at a cost of around Tk 500 each by shops offering computer compositions, graphic designs or work, digital scans and related computer based services.
These shops are mainly located at city's Nilkhet, Farmegate, Mohammadpur, Mirpur, Mohakhali and Paltan areas.
Criminals make use of fake ID cards, inserting fake information on the cards so that they cannot be traced later. Cheats also use fake documents during fraudulent activities.
A source also pointed out that many ordinary people, not necessarily hard criminals, also make use of fake ID cards to complete mandatory official formalities such as in banks, when they don't have any IDs of their own.