Dhaka, Oct 09 (V7N): Tarek M Barkatullah, the former director of the Data Centre, was arrested on Wednesday morning in the Kafrul area of Dhaka for his involvement in a case concerning the leak of National Identity (NID) card information.

The arrest was confirmed by Muhammad Talebur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner (Media) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

This case, filed under the Cyber Security Act along with relevant sections of the Penal Code, implicates 19 individuals, including Sajeeb Wazed Joy, a former ICT adviser and son of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and Zunaid Ahmed Palak, the former State Minister for ICT.

The complaint was lodged by Mohammad Enamul Haque, who alleges that these individuals permitted Digicon Global Services Ltd to misuse NID data for commercial gain, failing to protect national and individual security.

According to the allegations, the personal information of over 110 million citizens was sold to 182 organizations, both domestic and international, raising serious concerns about security. The complaint further claims that the defendants embezzled Tk20,000 crore through these transactions.

Among the high-ranking officials named in the case are Wahidur Rahman Sharif, director of Digicon Global Services, and NM Ziaul Alam, the former senior secretary of the Ministry of ICT. These allegations have sparked significant concerns regarding the potential misuse of sensitive data and its implications for citizens’ privacy.

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