While for the past few decades, thousands of Bangladeshi male and female succeeded in entering Canada through fake marriage arrangements, human trafficking rackets are continuing to send people under numerous pretenses – sometimes as cultural delegation, film shooting unit, and even invitees at wedding ceremonies.
On November 7, 2023, immigration authorities at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka intercepted a group of 45 people, while they were boarding a Canada-bound flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines (flight number BG-305) pretending to be invitees to attend a wedding ceremony. Although they were carrying fake documents related to the wedding ceremony, all of them succeeded in getting a genuine visa from the Canadian High Commission in Dhaka. In this group of 45 people, there were 29 males, 14 females and 2 infants.
According to immigration sources, this huge size of wedding attendees has valid Canadian visa and round-trip airline tickets. The source further said, Canadian High Commission in New Delhi knowing about boarding of the group members into Canada-bound flight told authorities concerned, members of this group succeeded in obtaining visa through forgery as the document related to the wedding ceremony in Canada was also false. Moreover, all of the group members succeeded in getting a Canadian visa in their blank passport – proving they did not have travelled to any other country in the past.
Although the Canadian High Commission has admitted that members of this group succeeded in getting visas by producing false documents, it has not stated as to how this has happened as the visa issuing authorities are supposed to have verified the wedding-related documents before issuing visas.
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According to a source, there are several organized rackets active in Bangladesh and India, which are taking BDT 800,000-15,00,000 from each individual in exchange for Canadian visa. It said, ringleaders of these visa rackets have direct connection with visa section officials in New Delhi as well as in Bangladesh. “These are highly-organized rackets that are operating for years”.
More about the 45-member wedding attendee gang
According to information, a Canadian citizen named Nayeem printed invitation letters for a fictitious wedding ceremony. A house was also rented in Toronto, which was shown for housing these guests. Accordingly, visa applications for more than one hundred people were submitted with the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi. Later it was revealed that none of the so-called invitees are relatives of Nayeem. Instead, he took BDT 1-2 million from each of them in exchange for Canadian visas.
A source told this correspondent that during mid-October, a batch of 25 people successfully entered Canada through the same process. It is happening almost on a regular basis.
It is further learnt that some Canadian passport holders also are involved in taking men and women from Bangladesh under the arrangement of “paper marriage”. Generally, male or female Canadian citizens enter into contract with a man or woman in Bangladesh and take them to Canada through preparing marriage documents. Later, family members of the paper bride or paper groom also are taken into Canada under numerous excuses. Through this process, under each of the fake marriage arrangements, at least 10-12 members of the bride’s or groom’s fake family members also enter Canada. Once the target is accomplished, the paper couple files for divorce thus letting the fake husband or wife repeat the same practice once again. This way, these Canadian citizens involved in paper marriage repeat the same practice at least twice in every 10 years.
Details of the 45 intercepted Canada-bound passengers
Khaled Ahmed (Passport number 03506699), Tahrim Jannat Tarin (Passport number 02345629), Lokman Ahmed (Passport number 0995957), Islam Uddin (Passport number 05899901), Lokman Ahmed (Passport number 05195655), Dulal Ahmed Dala (Passport number 11262324), Mosammat Saida Parvin Sirajun (Passport number 11281899), Md. Nur Ahmed (Passport number 11307531), Asma Begum (Passport number 11281900), Md. Alaur Rahman (Passport number 11285390), Mazeda Aktar (Passport number 11356435), Runa Begum (Passport number 06938928), Nasir Ahmed (Passport number 01576309), Mohammad Yahya (Passport number 07830753), Tahmina Begum (Passport number 11985032), Md. Monjur Hussain Bablu (Passport number 11800978), Sumaiya Ahmed (Passport number 02907560), Abdul Mumith (Passport number 0272409), An Hoorey Jannat Noha (Passport number 03177294), Md. Safiul Alam (Passport number 06248824), Ibrahim Ali (Passport number 080001890), Shahidur Rahman (Passport number 11779863), Mosharraf Ali (Passport number 07005838), Md. Abdul Basit (Passport number 11832814), Mukhlesur Rahman (Passport number A-11632283), Fatema Begum (Passport number 11632284), Wahidur Rahman (Passport number 07276159), Md. Juned (Passport number 12008168), Subeka Jamjam Marzana (Passport number 12008169), Md. Mazhar Hussain Talha (Passport number 12008167), Jahanara Begum (Passport number 12008166), Humayun Rashid Razu (Passport number 07398140), Manna Begum (Passport number 08215850), Rayha Fatema (Passport number 08215516), Md. Kabir Uddin Minu (Passport number 08112938), Musammat Runa Begum (Passport number 08112948), Md. Sadian Kabir (Passport number 08112037), Emamuddin (Passport number 07413789), Mohammad Abdur Rahim (Passport number 0187264), Md. Sabdur Rahman (Passport number 06270485), Ahmed Suleiman (Passport number 0958466), Jashim Uddin (Passport number 012226970), and Rahim Uddin (Passport number 11878022). We are refraining from disclosing information of the two minors.
Meanwhile, according to another source, prior to issuance of visas, Canadian High Commission did to check criminal record of the applicants, while it is claimed, a large number of people with criminal records are succeeding in getting Canadian visa as currently there is no real arrangement of verification of the background of the visa-seekers.
