What Role Did a Pakistani National Play in Kolkata's Fake Voter ID Scandal?

Kolkata, June 14 (NationPress) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has discovered new evidence that reveals the direct participation of Azad Mullick, a Pakistani national apprehended in Kolkata in April, in a significant scheme involving counterfeit Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPICs). This comes in addition to prior accusations of passport forgery and hawala activities.

As per sources from the ED, the agency has initiated an extensive inquiry following specific leads that underscore Azad’s pivotal role in orchestrating the distribution of fake EPICs, particularly for illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

Mullick is already confronting two grave charges – his connection to a counterfeit Indian passport operation and the management of a clandestine hawala network based in Kolkata.

The recent findings indicate that Azad successfully infiltrated local administrative systems to acquire and disseminate forged voter IDs.

The ED has formally requested information regarding 78 EPIC cardholders from the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal.

Investigators suspect that Azad facilitated at least 55 of these cards, with recipients primarily hailing from the bordering districts of North 24 Parganas and Nadia.

In response, the CEO’s office has instructed district magistrates in these regions to authenticate the identities of the individuals in question, with a detailed report expected to be submitted to the ED by month’s end.

During questioning, Azad allegedly acknowledged being registered as a voter in the Dum Dum-Uttar Assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas – one of the seven segments under the Dum Dum Lok Sabha seat.

It is believed that he participated in both the 2021 and 2024 elections. The ED has also requested documentation from the CEO’s office concerning how Azad obtained his EPIC.

The issue of foreign nationals acquiring Indian voter IDs has become a highly politicized topic in West Bengal, especially with the upcoming Assembly elections next year.

In a related incident on Friday, the CEO’s office reportedly removed Newton Das, a dual citizen of India and Bangladesh, from the electoral rolls.

Das, who was involved in last year’s student movement in Bangladesh, had been registered as a voter in the Kakdwip Assembly constituency of South 24 Parganas district.

Azad’s situation, however, is even more complicated. When arrested by the ED in April, initial documents suggested he was a Bangladeshi national who had obtained Indian documents – including a passport – through fraudulent means.

However, on April 29, the ED informed a special court in Kolkata that Mullick confessed to being a Pakistani citizen originally. He purportedly admitted to first acquiring Bangladeshi citizenship via forged documents, and subsequently using the same tactics to secure Indian identification papers.