Did NIA Initiate Investigation into Afghan National's Arrest?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Investigation initiated by NIA and IB
- Afghan national arrested for overstaying
- Use of forged documents uncovered
- Authorities seized various fraudulent IDs
- Ongoing efforts to strengthen immigration control
Bhubaneswar, June 23 (NationPress) In the wake of the recent apprehension of an Afghan national in Bhubaneswar for unlawfully overstaying in Odisha, multiple central agency officials, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Intelligence Bureau, commenced an investigation on Monday.
A duo from the NIA visited the Airport Police station on Monday to gather information regarding the arrest of the Afghan national at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA), Bhubaneswar, which occurred on Friday.
Additionally, sources indicate that another Intelligence Bureau team visited Peyton Sahi in the Buxi Bazar area of Cuttack city, where the accused Afghan national, Mohammad Yousaf, also known as Yaha Khan, has been residing illegally for over six years.
The IB team questioned Khan's landlord to obtain more information on the case. Reports suggest that the Commissionerate police plan to request the Court to place Khan on remand for further inquiry shortly.
According to reports, based on the complaint filed by Samapika Pattnaik, DSP of Immigration at BPI Airport, a case was registered, leading to Khan's arrest on Friday.
The suspect arrived at Bhubaneswar Airport from Dubai, UAE, on Flight No. 6E-1488, presenting a forged Indian passport (No. U 1380251) under the name of Yaha Khan from Cuttack.
During the immigration process, Pattnaik and her team conducted a comprehensive verification, leading to the discovery of a Discreet Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against Khan from Kolkata Airport. Initial investigations revealed that Yousaf had illegally entered India in 2017 using an Afghan passport to reach Kolkata.
Yousaf had been overstaying in India since January 2018, after his visa expired. Immigration authorities were actively searching for him while he concealed his real identity in Cuttack.
During interrogation, Khan admitted to being Mohammad Yousaf from Kabul, Afghanistan, and acknowledged forging identity documents to live and conduct business in India. He fraudulently acquired various Indian documents, including Aadhaar, PAN card, voter ID, driving license, and even a passport.
Authorities seized forged documents, foreign currency, and gold earrings from Khan. In addition, the Commissionerate police confiscated bank documents under the name of Yaha Khan and ₹50,000 in cash, for which he could not provide a satisfactory explanation.