Maharashtra’s Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) has busted a major illegal immigrants’ racket by arresting eight Bangladshi nationals and seizing a cache of illegal Indian documents, including several fake Indian identity cards, passports and material used for making illegal travel documents.
Acting on a tip-off that one Bangladeshi national staying in Mumbai as an illegal immigrant was indulging in preparation and supply of Indian identity cards other Bangladeshi nationals, the ATS sleuths laid laid a trap and caught an illegal Bangladeshi national from Sewree, Akram Ollauddin Khan (28) hailing from Novokhali district in the neighbouring country.
Akram’s custodial interrogation revealed that he had travelled to India without any valid documents. Later, persons identified as Noornabi, a resident of Wadala, Mumbai and Rafiq Shaikh, Kausa, Mumbra, Thane helped Akram in preparing forged Aadhar card, Pan card and Indian passport in his name.
Based on the inputs given by Akram, the ATS arrested one Mohd. Rafiq Rehmatulla sayyad (42), a resident of Kausa near Mumbra in Thane district and his interrogation revealed that he had been indulging in as agent in preparation of counterfeit passports since 2013.
The investigations also revealed that Rafiq was involved in preparation of many passport of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.
“On scrutiny of records, we have found that he has been involved in providing at least 85 fake Indian identity cards and passport to illegal Bangladeshi immigrants,” a senior ATS officer said.
“Shaikh used forged documents like Pan cards, Aadhar cards, election cards, ration cards, electric bills, rent agreements, school leaving certificate, birth certificates, bank passbooks required for processing passports,” he said.
The ATS officials went onto arrest Shaikh’s accomplices Idris Mohammad Shaikh (57), a resident of Kausa, Mumbra, Avin Gangaram Kedare (35) Yrs, resident of Antop Hill, Mumbai and One Nitin Rajaram Nikam (43), a resident of Taloja, Navi Mumbai.
While Idris had played an active role in preparing forged school leaving certificates and birth certificates, Kedare helped Idris in preparing fake rubber stamps to make these forged documents. Nikam provided fake bank passbooks and election cards.
In addition, the ATS officials Mohd. Soahil Abdul Subhan Shaikh (33), Abdul Khair Samsulhaq (42) and Abul Hasham alias Abul Kasham Shaikh (26) for entering into India and residing without valid documents of their stay and seized forged Indian identity cards and passports from them.
Apart from the fake passports, the other documents and materials that the ATS seized from the arrested Bangladeshi nationals included a dozen mobile phones, several Adhar cards, 30-odd Indian and Bangladeshi SIM cards, a dozen ATM cards, cash of approximately 9.5 lakh, some Bangladesh currency, applications from 446 persons seeking passports, a host of passbooks, cheque books, printers, a laptop, pen drives, at least rubber stamps of housing societies and government offices, two holograms in the name of Collector Raigad, Excavation Dept, forged bank passbooks, forged agreements and forged visiting cards.