Who Are the Individuals Behind the Fake Indian Passports Linked to Pak Infiltrator?

Synopsis
The ED is on the trail of individuals involved in the distribution of fake Indian passports orchestrated by Azad Mullick, a Pakistani infiltrator. With potential ties to extremist organizations, this investigation reveals a complex web of identity fraud and illegal immigration that poses a serious threat to national security.
Key Takeaways
- Enforcement Directorate tracking fake passport operations.
- Over 200 individuals identified in the investigation.
- Connections to terror outfits suspected.
- Network involved in illegal immigration and identity fraud.
- Effective action crucial for national security.
Kolkata, June 6 (NationPress) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has begun monitoring individuals whose fraudulent Indian identity documents, including passports, were facilitated by Azad Mullick, a Pakistani infiltrator apprehended in Kolkata.
Sources indicate that the ED has identified approximately 200 individuals linked to the fake passport operations orchestrated by Mullick.
He managed parallel operations involving counterfeit Indian passports and hawala transactions from his rented premises on the northern fringes of Kolkata prior to his arrest earlier this year.
Officials from the ED are concerned that several of these individuals, who procured fake Indian passports through Mullick, may have affiliations with extremist and terror organizations based in Pakistan.
The investigative team has solid leads suggesting that some individuals, for whom Azad fabricated fake documents, entered West Bengal either via Bangladesh or Nepal.
Reports further suggest that they established connections with Azad through his network of agents, ultimately leading to the provision of fake Indian identity documents, including passports.
The modus operandi involved first providing safe accommodation to illegal infiltrators in various villages near the borders with Bangladesh, both land and coastal, followed by the arrangement of fake birth certificates and ration cards, which serve as initial steps in obtaining other identity documents.
With these fake ration cards and birth certificates, additional Indian identity documents such as the Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC), Permanent Account Number (PAN), and AADHAAR were subsequently generated.
The concluding phase involved the issuance of fake passports based on these other fabricated identity documents.
The ED gleaned information regarding these individuals after analyzing decoded messages from Azad's individual and group chats on WhatsApp.
Azad's original identity as a Pakistani citizen was Azad Hossain, a name he altered to Ahammed Hossain Azad to secure Bangladeshi citizenship through dubious means.
Ultimately, the fake Indian passport he obtained fraudulently listed his name as Azad Mullick.
During his capture, authorities seized two fake EPIC cards, several counterfeit driving licenses, and four forged birth certificates from his possession.