Kolkata, Feb 18 (NationPress) Authorities have apprehended a man who is believed to be a Bangladeshi national for allegedly living in India for several years with forged identity documents, officials reported on Wednesday. The arrest took place in the Dinhata region of Cooch Behar district in northern Bengal.

The detained individual has been identified as Omar Farooq Byapari, who had reportedly been residing in the Chowdhuryhat Gram Panchayat area within the Dinhata-II block for numerous years.

He is accused of unlawfully acquiring various identity documents, including an Aadhaar card and a voter identity card, by allegedly presenting an Indian citizen as his father in official records.

As per police sources, the suspect had lived in India using these forged documents, managing to create identity credentials through the misrepresentation of personal details on official forms.

The situation came to light when the accused filled out an enumeration form for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and submitted it to the authorities. Following this, a complaint was lodged with the District Magistrate by the local gram panchayat, leading to a formal complaint registered at the local police station on December 4 of the previous year.

Further updates from police sources indicate that the accused was previously linked with the Ansar Bahini, a paramilitary auxiliary force responsible for maintaining law and order in Bangladesh.

After the complaint, police initiated a search operation and had been pursuing the accused for several months. He was finally apprehended on Tuesday night in the Putimari area under the jurisdiction of the Dinhata police station.

Local reports suggest that Omar allegedly entered India illegally approximately 10 to 12 years ago and had since been living in the Chowdhuryhat region.

When presented before a court on Wednesday, the accused denied the allegations, asserting that he is an Indian citizen who has been wrongfully implicated.

“I am an Indian citizen. My family is here. I used to be a Trinamool member at one time. Now I am not. That is why there are attempts to frame me,” he stated.

In response to the arrest and the claims made by the accused, Cooch Behar district Trinamool Congress Vice President Abdul Jalil Ahmed stated that the individual was not affiliated with the party.

“Omar Farooq Byapari is not associated with Trinamool. The law will take its own course. If someone is hiding here as a Bangladeshi, then the police will arrest him,” Ahmed commented.

Meanwhile, Cooch Behar district BJP Vice President Biraj Basu alleged that the accused had ties with the Trinamool Congress, claiming that residents had previously raised complaints against him.

“We have been stating for a long time that Omar is Bangladeshi and has ties with Trinamool. The residents of the area have also lodged complaints against him. The police arrested him under pressure. Trinamool is also denying his association as they are under pressure,” Basu asserted.

Dinhata Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Dhiman Mitra confirmed that an investigation is ongoing following the arrest.

“The police produced him in court today. There was a complaint against him stating that he was a Bangladeshi national. The police were searching for him on that basis. He was arrested yesterday, and further investigation is continuing,” Mitra stated.