STAFF CORRESPONDENT

A syndicate within the Election Commission’s National Identity Registration Wing has allegedly been selling citizens’ personal data and earning several crores every month, according to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

The CID arrested two EC staffers who are allegedly part of the nexus. They are: Al Amin, 39, a data-entry operator at the NID wing under the Director General of the NID Registration Wing; and Habibullah, 41, a computer operator and office assistant at the EC office in Gazaria, Munshiganj.

A team from the CID’s Cyber Police Centre arrested Al Amin from Agargaon and Habibullah from the Chandrima area of Mohammadpur on Wednesday, CID officials said.

Briefing the media at CID headquarters yesterday, Deputy Inspector General Abul Basar Talukder said that 1,12,150 NID records were accessed within just one week, while 3,65,608 records were viewed over a 30-day period, citing an internal inquiry by the commission.

“If the data were sold at Tk 300 per record, the accused illegally earned around Tk 11 crore,” the DIG said.

The official also said the arrestees, during initial questioning, admitted that they had accessed the NID’s core server at the EC Secretariat using OTP transfers and sold citizens’ personal data through various social media platforms.