They also arrested the four fortune seekers who alleged they had paid the organised gang Tk 80,000 each for going to Dubai. Their passports were found doctored with their photographs attached removing the original ones.

The four -- Kaptan Mia of Sunamganj, Abul Kalam of Sylhet, Mohammad Kabir and Mohammad Ishaq of Comilla -- were sent to Dubai by an Emirates flight on April 27, but Dubai airport police finding the fake passports sent them back on April 29.

"As they arrived at Zia International Airport (ZIA), we arrested them. During interrogation they admitted that they had gone to Dubai illegally," a top immigration official told The Daily Star yesterday seeking anonymity.

The immigration police then watched the records (footage) of close circuit television (CCTV) at the ZIA immigration on April 27 and found CAAB Security Officer Amzad Hossain's involvement in the crime.

The police arrested Amzad who named three immigration policemen -- Sub-Inspector (SI) Mokbul Ahmed, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Ashraful Alam and Constable Motiur Rahman -- saying they were also involved.

The accused policemen took Tk 2,800 for clearing each passport, Amzad admitted.

Later, the immigration police arrested the three cops and quizzed them extensively. They admitted their guilt during interrogation and named seven manpower brokers who had allegedly bribed them to give immigration seals on the passports.

Following their statements, the Special Branch (SB) of police launched a massive hunt for the manpower brokers and arrested three -- Moklesur Rahman of Comilla, Fazlul Karim of Bogra and Mokbul Ahmed of Uttara -- until Sunday night.

Inspector Aziza Sultana of ZIA immigration filed a case with the Airport Police Station on Sunday against 15 people in this connection.

The police produced the four passengers before the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Dhaka on Saturday and took them on a one-day remand.

They were again produced before court yesterday on completion of their remand and sent to the Dhaka Central Jail after recording their confessional statements under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The police also produced the accused policemen, manpower brokers and CAAB officer in the same court yesterday with a petition for five-day remand. The court granted one-day remand for each of them.