What is the Source of Funds for Arrested Bangladeshi Model?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Investigation into financial transactions of Santa Paul is ongoing.
- Luxury vehicles purchased under scrutiny for their funding source.
- Concerns about illegal residency and forged documents have emerged.
- Potential links to espionage are being investigated.
- Call for better immigration monitoring systems highlighted.
Kolkata, Aug 3 (NationPress) The Kolkata Police are currently investigating the financial operations linked to the two bank accounts of Santa Paul, the detained Bangladeshi model based in Kolkata. Sources indicate that law enforcement officials are meticulously scrutinizing the incoming and outgoing remittances from these accounts to determine if any fictitious transactions occurred.
Furthermore, insiders within the city police have revealed that investigators are also looking into the origins of the funds used to acquire the four luxury vehicles registered under the name of the arrested model.
"The identity under which these cars were purchased is also under scrutiny. Preliminary investigations suggest that she had aspirations to construct a guest house and had applied for a loan. However, it appears that Santa Paul did not secure the loan in her own name. The investigation continues to uncover how she managed to obtain this financing," stated a police official on Sunday.
On July 28, officers from the Park Street police station apprehended Paul at a residence in Kolkata's Golf Green neighborhood. Authorities grew suspicious after reviewing the documents she submitted while applying for a passport. During the arrest, several Bangladeshi documents were found in Santa Paul's flat.
Reports indicate that Paul, who works as a model, entered India with a valid visa. However, instead of returning to her home country before her visa expired, she allegedly acquired forged Indian documents, including an Aadhaar card and a Voter ID.
According to police sources, two cards bearing the same Aadhaar number were discovered. One has an address in Kolkata, and the other is linked to Burdwan. Additionally, a voter card in Santa Paul's name was located at the Burdwan address.
"Investigations are underway to ascertain if she has ever resided in Burdwan and why she relocated to Kolkata. Information regarding the voter card found at the Burdwan address has been forwarded to the Election Commission of India, and efforts to verify the details in that document are ongoing," a police source reported.
As of Saturday, police disclosed that, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Paul's visa expired in 2021, and she has since been residing in the country illegally.
This development raises concerns about the effectiveness of monitoring by the Foreigners Registration Office (FRO) regarding such cases.
Kolkata Police are also exploring whether Paul was involved in espionage activities in the country, similar to Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra.
The investigation is taking this new direction after discovering through her social media that Paul visited the India-Nepal-China border and recorded a video there.