Shahed’s O Level certificate draws attention as COVID-19 scam probe widens

The NID Wing of Election Commission has been scrutinising the authenticity of a Cambridge O Level certificate provided for a correction in the national identification card of Mohammad Shahed, the disgraced businessman arrested on charges of embezzling money from patients by issuing fake COVID-19 test reports.

The authorities found Shahed’s citizenship certificate and a copy of his passport to be correct but are yet to confirm the authenticity of the O Level certificate.

The NID Wing is trying to verify ‘information’ in the certificate amid the ongoing revelation of fraudulence committed by Shahed, it said.

Shahed Karim renamed himself as Mohammad Shahed by altering the information in his NID, said the officials. He used his birth certificate, a citizenship certificate, a copy of passport and the O Level certificate for the NID correction.

“We’ll take action against the person [Shahed]  if he has given any false information or concealed something,” said Brig Gen Mohammed Sayeedul Islam, director general of NID Wing.

According to the National Identification Registration Act, providing false, distorted information or concealing information knowingly is considered an offence. The act has a provision to impose a one-year jail term and a maximum of Tk 20,000 in fine.

“We have scrutinised the NID. This person is Shahed. He has given his fingerprints and biometric test. The NID Wing can do nothing if a person provides all documents properly. We checked that his birth certificate, citizenship certificate and passport documents were all correct.”

As the NID Wing works with the National Education Board but not with English-medium certifying agencies, it could not immediately verify his O Level certificate.

“We’re investigating the issue. We’ll take legal action against him if he has hidden any information,” Islam said.

Though Shahed introduces himself as Sahed or Shahed, his real name is Md Shahed Karim, as a netizen posted on social media. His parents were Sirajul Karim and Sufia Karim and his educational qualification is SSC.

Shahed’s NID (2692618145885) issued in 2008 bears his name as Shahed Karim.

At present, he is using a smart NID card under the name Mohammad Shahed bearing the number 8650406187. This number has been used in his PID  card of the Information Ministry.

The Rapid Action Battalion arrested Shahed in the frontier district of Satkhira on Wednesday for his roles in a COVID-19 test scam that roiled Bangladesh’s healthcare sector.