Latest news with #JahangirAlam
NZ Herald
04-08-2025
- NZ Herald
Bangladeshi man jailed for 20-year immigration and identity fraud, wife avoids prison
Bangladeshi man Jahangir Alam was able to obtain New Zealand citizenship and two passports using his brother's identity. Photo / NZME Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. Already a subscriber? Sign in here Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen. Bangladeshi man Jahangir Alam was able to obtain New Zealand citizenship and two passports using his brother's identity. Photo / NZME A Bangladeshi man has been jailed for his role in a 20-year-long immigration and identity fraud ruse, while his wife has avoided prison. Jahangir Alam was sentenced to four years' jail in the Auckland District Court last week. His wife and co-offender Taj Parvin Shilpi received 12 months' home detention after being granted a 20% discount for health reasons, which would otherwise have seen her jailed for two years. The pair were found guilty of 40 charges of immigration and identity fraud after a three-week jury trial in March. Alam had used his brother's identity to obtain a visitor visa and enter New Zealand, later securing a work permit, residence visa and ultimately New Zealand citizenship and two New Zealand passports.
RNZ News
01-08-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Bangladesh-born Jahangir Alam's 25 years of passport fraud and sham marriage land him record jail term
Photo: RNZ A man who pretended to be his brother for 25 years and entered a sham marriage to get citizenship has been handed the longest jail term in New Zealand history for passport fraud. Bangladesh-born Jahangir Alam - whose true name is not known - was found guilty of 29 offences, which included applying for visas for his wife and mother with his false identity, earlier this year. He was jailed for four years at the Auckland District Court on Friday for producing forged documents, supplying false information and using a false passport, where the judge Peter Winter denounced the two-decade long passport and immigration fraud. "The initial identity fraud offending progressed and continued to mushroom from there," said Winter. "It was complex, premeditated and longstanding. The duration and scale of the offending is considerable." His 45-year-old wife, Taj Parvin Shilpi, who was sentenced to 12 months' home detention, was "fully aware" of the fraud, he said, as they were cousins who had lived in the same village growing up. The Te Atatu couple have a 21-year-old son, a university student who was 'entirely blameless' said Winter, having arrived with his mother as a four-year-old in 2008. He became a citizen as the child of a New Zealander. Alam went on to become president of the Bangladesh Association of New Zealand Inc (BANZI), in which he helped up to 80 people applying for passports. Bangladesh had no consulate in New Zealand and Alam, through BANZI, had helped with paperwork, passports and stamps. There was no suggestion any of those passports were false. The judge was asked to take his work in helping others into account as community service when looking at whether Alam's sentence could be discounted. Winter said it was a "form of arrogance" that someone who was illegally in the country, and who had standing in the Bengali community, was dealing with other people's passports. He refused to reduce his sentence for that, or for Alam being of good character. Alam's age and true identity remain unknown, but he is believed to be the 50-year-old older brother of John Alam, who lives in the US. How he adopted his brother's identity and came to possess the Bangladeshi passport that got him to New Zealand is not clear, but authorities found he lived in Japan in the 1990s, before returning home and setting off for Auckland. He became a taxi driver and entered a 'marriage of convenience' with a New Zealand woman - they separated shortly after he got his residence. He told a jury earlier this year that they split because of differences over her 'lifestyle' but claimed that it was a genuine partnership. Having become a citizen, married Shilpi and had a son, he could still not complete his fraud, as Immigration New Zealand initially rejected her visa application because of discepancies in the interviews staff had with the husband and wife. But she arrived in 2008 on the first of a number of visas - her application for residence was rejected as her health was deemed too poor. Alam had also tried to get his mother a visitor visa, but that too had been declined. Shilpi, who suffers from hypertension and diabetes, was "aware that he was not the person who he claimed to be, and was aware from the very beginning", said Winter. The jury had not believed her version that the couple did not meet until after his New Zealand marriage failed. Immigration New Zealand welcomed the record prison sentence, and said it was a complex investigation that took six years to complete. Shilpi has only been on temporary visas and her last visitor visa has expired. Alam's case will be referred to Internal Affairs, which is in charge of passports and citizenship. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
01-08-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Passport fraud and sham marriage land Jahangir Alam record jail term
Photo: RNZ A man who pretended to be his brother for 25 years and entered a sham marriage to get citizenship has been handed the longest jail term in New Zealand history for passport fraud. Bangladesh-born Jahangir Alam - whose true name is not known - was found guilty of 29 offences, which included applying for visas for his wife and mother with his false identity, earlier this year. He was jailed for four years at the Auckland District Court on Friday for producing forged documents, supplying false information and using a false passport, where the judge Peter Winter denounced the two-decade long passport and immigration fraud. "The initial identity fraud offending progressed and continued to mushroom from there," said Winter. "It was complex, premeditated and longstanding. The duration and scale of the offending is considerable." His 45-year-old wife, Taj Parvin Shilpi, who was sentenced to 12 months' home detention, was "fully aware" of the fraud, he said, as they were cousins who had lived in the same village growing up. The Te Atatu couple have a 21-year-old son, a university student who was 'entirely blameless' said Winter, having arrived with his mother as a four-year-old in 2008. He became a citizen as the child of a New Zealander. Alam went on to become president of the Bangladesh Association of New Zealand Inc (BANZI), in which he helped up to 80 people applying for passports. Bangladesh had no consulate in New Zealand and Alam, through BANZI, had helped with paperwork, passports and stamps. There was no suggestion any of those passports were false. The judge was asked to take his work in helping others into account as community service when looking at whether Alam's sentence could be discounted. Winter said it was a "form of arrogance" that someone who was illegally in the country, and who had standing in the Bengali community, was dealing with other people's passports. He refused to reduce his sentence for that, or for Alam being of good character. Alam's age and true identity remain unknown, but he is believed to be the 50-year-old older brother of John Alam, who lives in the US. How he adopted his brother's identity and came to possess the Bangladeshi passport that got him to New Zealand is not clear, but authorities found he lived in Japan in the 1990s, before returning home and setting off for Auckland. He became a taxi driver and entered a 'marriage of convenience' with a New Zealand woman - they separated shortly after he got his residence. He told a jury earlier this year that they split because of differences over her 'lifestyle' but claimed that it was a genuine partnership. Having become a citizen, married Shilpi and had a son, he could still not complete his fraud, as Immigration New Zealand initially rejected her visa application because of discepancies in the interviews staff had with the husband and wife. But she arrived in 2008 on the first of a number of visas - her application for residence was rejected as her health was deemed too poor. Alam had also tried to get his mother a visitor visa, but that too had been declined. Shilpi, who suffers from hypertension and diabetes, was "aware that he was not the person who he claimed to be, and was aware from the very beginning", said Winter. The jury had not believed her version that the couple did not meet until after his New Zealand marriage failed. Immigration New Zealand welcomed the record prison sentence, and said it was a complex investigation that took six years to complete. Shilpi has only been on temporary visas and her last visitor visa has expired. Alam's case will be referred to Internal Affairs, which is in charge of passports and citizenship. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Time of India
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Pro-ISI Lt Gen Zahirul Alam set to be Bangladesh's Dy NSA
New Delhi: The Md Yunus-led interim regime in Bangladesh could appoint Lt Gen Abu Tayub Md Zahirul Alam, infamous for his links with Pakistan's ISI and fanning anti-India sentiments, as the deputy national security adviser. Zahirul Alam is a batchmate from the Army of the regime's current home advisor Jahangir Alam and former PM Khaleda Zia's late brother Sayeed Iskandar, both known for their close links with Pakistan. Jahangir Alam was head of border guards when BNP was last in power during 2001-06. Zahirul Alam's close links with Islamabad is evident from the fact that he once gave Pakistan military officials access to Bangladesh's National Defence College. He once served as the commandant of the National Defence College and was later appointed as a member of board of trustees of Hamdard Laboratories, Bangladesh. Zahirul Alam has close links with Yunus and hails from Yunus' native place in Chittagong. This explains the move behind appointing him as the deputy NSA. The appointment could further dent Dhaka's ties with New Delhi, according to Dhaka-based experts who did not wish to be named. Zahirul Alam's close associate Maj (retd) Iskander was a younger brother of Zia and served as a member of the Bangladeshi parliament (Jatiya Sangsad) from 2001 to 2006, representing BNP from the Feni-1 constituency. He was also the founding chairman of Islamic Television and known for patronising anti-India and extremist forces. Iskander took care of BNP's overall election affairs in 2001. Iskander, who passed away in 2012, was also instrumental in providing arms and training to insurgents in Mizoram and Assam. Live Events
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Bangladesh bans Hasina-led Awami League under revised anti-terror law
Bangladesh on Monday issued a gazette notification, officially banning all activities of deposed premier Sheikh Hasina 's Awami League party under an overnight revised anti-terrorism law. "The Home Ministry today issued the gazette notification banning all activities of the Awami League, its all front, associate and brotherly organisations," Home Adviser Lt Gen (retd.) Jahangir Alam told a media briefing here. #Operation Sindoor The damage done at Pak bases as India strikes to avenge Pahalgam Why Pakistan pleaded to end hostilities Kashmir's Pahalgam sparks Karachi's nightmare According to the notification, Awami League and its affiliated organisations were banned under the Anti-Terrorism Act 2025 until Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) completed the trial of its leaders and activists, said a Home Ministry official. The official said Section 18 of the revised law empowered the government to declare any "entity" or organisation alongside an individual if they were found involved in terrorism based on reasonable grounds. 5 5 Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x 5 5 / Skip Ads by by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Moose Approaches Girl At Bus Stop In Dhaka - Watch What Happens Happy in Shape Undo The original Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009 did not have the provision of banning the "entity". The Awami League leaders were charged with committing crimes against humanity over the deaths of hundreds of people during last year's anti-government protests by a student platform. The protests resulted in the ouster of Hasina's 16-year-long regime on August 5. Live Events On Saturday, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government's Council of Advisers or the Cabinet slapped a ban on "all activities of Awami League", including in cyberspace, under an anti-terrorism law. It said the ban would stay in place until the special tribunal completes a trial of the party and its leaders. The next day, the Awami League rejected the interim government's decision and vowed to carry on its activities in an appropriate manner. Monday's development came as Bangladesh overnight promulgated an ordinance banning the publication or dissemination of statements of individuals or organisations charged under a revised terrorism law. On Sunday night, President Mohammed Shahabuddin promulgated an ordinance amending the Anti-Terrorism Act, prohibiting any form of publicity, including press statements, social media content, or public gatherings in support of any individuals or entities tried in the act. The revised law broadened the scope of restrictions by replacing the previous reference to "listed individuals or banned entities" with a more general phrase: "any individual or entity against whom action has been taken under sub-section (1) of Section 18" of the anti-terrorism law. Formed in 1949, the Awami League led the movement for the autonomy of Bengalis in the then East Pakistan for decades and eventually led the Liberation War in 1971.
