A Chattogram education board investigation has found evidence that three employees of its computer section helped inflate a student’s marks in 11 subjects in the 2026 Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination, despite the student failing 10 subjects.

The board has filed a case against the three employees and the student over the alleged fraud.

Board Secretary Professor Mohammed Zahirul Hoque Swapan filed the case with Panchlaish Model Police Station in Chattogram yesterday (30 October).

The accused are scanning operators Imtiaz Ahmed Chowdhury, 28, and Md Rashedul Islam, 30, and computer operator (solver) Nur Hossain Raihan, 32.

The student has also been named in the case, along with other identified and unidentified accomplices.

The case, numbered 26/234, was filed under Sections 420, 465, 466, 467, 468, 471 and 477(A) of the Penal Code and Sections 5, 6, 12 and 13 of the Public Examinations (Offences) Act, 1980.

Confirming the case, Panchlaish police station Officer-in-Charge Mozammel Haque told The Business Standard that action would be taken according to the law following an investigation.

Marks inflated in 11 subjects

According to the FIR, the discrepancies came to light during a re-scrutiny application.

The designated examiner found that the computer cell’s printout showed 45 marks in Physics, while the answer script carried zero. Further examination revealed discrepancies in other subjects.

On 25 August, the board chairman formed a three-member investigation committee.

With technical assistance from two ICT experts, it examined original answer scripts, examiners’ manual mark sheets, published results, multiple-choice OMR sheets and computer cell data. The committee submitted its report on 9 September.

The FIR lists changes in all 11 subjects. The student’s Bangla First Paper marks were raised from 23 to 33 and Second Paper marks from 24 to 62. English First Paper marks were increased from 33 to 83 and Second Paper from 20 to 82.

In the other subjects, Mathematics marks were changed from 9 to 66, Islamic Studies from 7 to 64, Higher Mathematics from zero to 46, Physics from zero to 45, Chemistry from 1 to 46, Biology from 1 to 46, and Bangladesh and Global Studies from 4 to 65.

The investigation report said the marks had been altered through collusion, allegedly at the student’s instigation and with the direct or indirect cooperation of the three employees. The results were then prepared using the inflated marks and published online.

After the discrepancies were detected, the board withheld the student’s result and issued him a show-cause notice on 15 October. He submitted a reply on 26 October, but the board decided to file the case, saying his response was unsatisfactory.

Three employees were previously under suspicion

After the discrepancies emerged in August, the board examined which scanning machine had processed the relevant data.

By analysing machine numbers, staff duty rosters and work records, it identified the three employees as suspects.

The board also sought technical assistance from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) experts before temporarily relieving the three of their duties.

At the time, all three denied the allegations in comments to TBS, saying the scanning, sorting and solving processes did not allow them to identify and alter the marks of an individual student’s answer script.

The investigation report has since alleged their direct or indirect involvement.

Previous cases of result irregularities

Allegations of result manipulation have surfaced at the Chattogram Education Board several times.

In 2025, a re-scrutiny of the previous year’s SSC results found that marks higher than those on 34 answer scripts had been entered in the result sheets.

The computer section also came under scrutiny, but the board did not disclose what action was taken following the investigation.

In another incident, 17 students received GPA-5 in the 2024 SSC examination despite not appearing for it. The board later cancelled their results.

In 2023, allegations emerged that marks had been inflated in 11 papers for the son of then board secretary Narayan Chandra Nath.

After an investigation found evidence of the irregularities, the result was cancelled.

Cases were later filed against Narayan, his son Nakshetra Debnath, former senior system analyst Kibria Masud Khan and former board chairman Professor Mustafa Kamrul Akhter. Charge sheets have since been submitted against all four.