Even as a high voltage political drama has been underway over the issue of Rohingyas and Bangladeshi immigrants staying illegally in the National Capital, the murder of a man, who used to push women in prostitution, led to the Delhi Police in busting a gang involved in settling these immigrants in Delhi. Police have arrested 11 people including four Bangladeshi nationals.

The accused involve seven people who were allegedly involved in making forged documents including Aadhaar card, birth certificates, caste certificates, matriculation certificates, COVID certificates, and income certificates, at nominal prices starting from Rs 7, Aadhaar operators and tech experts.

A woman in the intervening night of October 20 and 21 came to Sangam Vihar police station to report that her husband, Santu Sheikh alias Raja, has been murdered which led to the police tracking down four people involved in his murder and subsequently busting the gang.

The Bangladeshi nationals, 26 years old Midul Miyan alias Akash Ahmed and 24 years old Fardeen Ahmed alias Abhi Ahmed along with their wives,  were arrested and interrogated in connection with the murder of Sentu Sheikh alias Raja.

Among the motives behind the murder, Raja used to push the wives of the accused into prostitution and also tried to make physical relations with them while also bullying them for minor issues. They all lived in close proximity.

“However, the police learnt  during interrogation that these accused had entered India illegally and had been residing in Sangam Vihar for several years,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Ankit Chauhan said.

They were found in possession of Bangladeshi ID cards (chip-based NID cards) and birth certificates. Around 21 Aadhar cards, four voter ID cards, and eight PAN cards were also recovered from the victim’s residence.

Chauhan said, “Under the guidance of Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, we formed a team to unearth the entire matter and conduct a thorough probe into the illegal immigration issue.”

These immigrants came to India through the jungle route and then took bikes and taxis to reach the nearest town from where they took AC trains to travel to Delhi, he said.

Further questioning of the accused led to the arrest of 26 year old Sahil Sehgal who ran a ‘Poonam Online Computer Centre’ in Rohini Sector 5.

“It was found that the centre was involved in preparing Aadhaar cards and other documents using fake IDs. Sehgal revealed that he was approached by illegal Bangladeshi immigrants through the deceased Sentu Sheikh alias Raja,” the DCP added.

“Sahil used the fake website ‘Jantaprints.Site’ to generate fraudulent birth certificates and sent them to his associate Ranjit for Aadhaar card processing,” the officer said. Ranjit, a resident of Sector 7 in Rohini, worked with 25 year old Afroz, an authorised Aadhaar operator at Karnataka Bank in Rohini Sector 5. Using fake birth certificates, Afroz facilitated the creation of Aadhaar cards.

“Ranjit and Afroz were arrested, and investigations revealed that the “Jantaprints.Site” offered fake documents,” he added. Payments for these documents were made via Paytm QR codes linked to a number registered under Mohammad Chand.

Based on technical surveillance, 28-year-old Mohammad Chand, from Uttam Nagar, was arrested from Vikas Nagar, Delhi. He confessed to retaining a two per cent commission and transferring the remaining amount to Saddam Hussain.

Thirty three-year-old Saddam Hussain, from Uttam Nagar, was arrested, leading to the discovery that the ‘Jantaprints.Site’ was operated by his associate, Deepak Mishra. Saddam transferred the payments to Deepak Mishra, retaining a 2 per cent share for himself.

Further questioning revealed that the accused initially created Aadhaar cards showing ages under 18, as such cards were easier to process at multiple centres in Delhi. Cards for individuals over 18 were limited to just four centres in Delhi.

Technical surveillance led to 34-year-old Deepak Mishra, from Uttam Nagar, being apprehended in Ambala and arrested after sustained interrogation. He disclosed that his brother-in-law, Sonu Kumar, developed the “Jantaprints.Site.”

Thirty-one-year-old Sonu Kumar, was arrested from Noida, where he admitted to learning how to create fake websites via YouTube. He also created “Portalwale.Com” and “Portalwale.Online” for creating fake ID documents. Sonu Kumar runs a cyber café in Noida, the police said, adding that further investigations are on.

Cornering the ruling party on the issue, National Convenor of Bharatiya Janata Party’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya accused Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party of actively facilitating illegal immigration of Rohingyas and Bangladeshi nationals in Delhi through a well-organised network.

“To divert attention from this anti-national operation, he falsely accused the BJP of canceling voter cards of Poorvanchalis. Now, both his tactics and lies have been thoroughly exposed. Delhi Police has uncovered a racket involved in creating fake Aadhaar and voter ID cards, along with the technology experts behind a fraudulent website. They also debunk Kejriwal’s baseless claim about the cancellation of voter cards for Purvanchali women. Arvind Kejriwal is in deep trouble,” he shared on X.