Bangladesh: Immigration officer suspended for letting pilot fly abroad without passport

Bangladesh authorities have suspended an immigration official at the airport here for allowing a senior pilot of the national carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines to fly abroad without his passport to bring back Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from Finland, said a media report on Sunday.

Deputy Inspector General of the Special Branch of Police Afzal Biswas announced the suspension of Sub-Inspector Qamruzzaman for letting Captain Fazal Mahmud of Biman Bangladesh Airlines to travel aborad without his passport on June 5 to bring back PM Hasina after her three-nation visit, the bdnews24.com reported.

Mahmud was denied entry at the immigration of Doha International Airport in Qatar on Thursday after it was found that he travelled without passport.

"He is accused of neglecting duty. He did not check the pilot's passport which was his duty, Afzal was quoted as saying by the newswebsite.

Following the incident, the government has formed two committees to investigate how Captain Mahmud travelled to Qatar without any passport to fly back Hasina, the website reported.

The prime minister returned home on Saturday morning from Finland on a special Biman flight operated by another pilot, the report said.