Suspended assistant director SM Alamgir Kabir of the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC) is one of the 17 people arrested by detectives in a special drive after their involvement in leaking question papers of different public exams came to light.
Like the notorious PSC driver Syed Abed Ali, Naogaon’s Alamgir too has earned a large sum of money by helping people get jobs at the Secretariat and other government offices illegally.

Alamgir hails from Goya Sardarpara village under Kola Union in Badalgachi Upazila. His father, Abul Kashem, is a farm worker. The eldest among four siblings, Alamgir lives in the government quarters in Mirpur-6.

Abul Kashem, 75, said he heard about his son’s arrest, but could not give details. “My younger son and son-in-law are handling the police,” he told Dhaka Tribune.

After learning about his arrest, locals started to speak up. They say at least 90 youths of the Kola Union got jobs in various government offices through Alamgir and his coaching centre in the last couple of years.

One of his brothers, SM Humayun Kabir, works as a driver in the Labour and Employment Ministry, and his sister, Mina Akter, is a computer operator at the Rajshahi District and Sessions Court. It could not be confirmed immediately whether they got the jobs through unfair means.

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Locals say Alamgir used to collect clients through his coaching centre in Dhaka’s Mirpur, named “Job Corner Shorthand and Computer Training Institute”. In 2023, he opened a branch at Kolahat Bazar in Badalgachi, but it was closed after 8-9 months.

“Alamgir was very popular in the area for his influence. Many unemployed youths have got jobs in government offices with his help,” said Anwar Hossain, owner of a variety store at Kolahat Bazar.

He added: “His younger brother became a driver in a ministry despite having educational qualifications up to class six or seven. He also gave his sister a government job.

“Through Alamgir, around 80-90 youths of the union got jobs in government offices. Now we can realize how he managed to make these happen.”

Another neighbour, SM Abdur Rouf, said Alamgir had given jobs to 40-50 people from the same village. “We do not know whether he committed any crime in doing so. Those who got jobs may not admit it, but an investigation will unearth everything.”

He added that Alamgir did not build a house in his village home, despite earning millions of takas but bought 10 bighas of land recently.

After Alamgir opened the coaching centre at Kolahat Bazar, locals came to know that it was simple to get a third- or fourth-grade job in government offices if they were admitted here, said Belal Hossain, a lecturer at Kola College.