West Bengal Police to Uncover Bangladeshi Infiltrators Traveling Abroad with Fraudulent Indian Passports
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Kolkata, Jan 12 (NationPress) The investigative teams from Kolkata Police and West Bengal Police are delving into the operations of rackets that facilitate the distribution of counterfeit Indian passports to illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators entering the state. They are conducting simultaneous investigations to identify these infiltrators who are making regular international trips.
As per sources within the city police, at least 40 fraudulent Indian passports featuring addresses in West Bengal have been discovered, all of which contain multiple visas for various foreign nations. However, when verifying the addresses linked to these passports, it became evident that they were fabricated, with the properties either being owned or leased by other individuals for extended periods. In some instances, the addresses cited in the passports do not even exist.
“These rackets that create fake Indian identity documents, including passports, have a significant presence primarily in the d districts of West Bengal that share international boundaries with Bangladesh, including both land and coastal areas. Some even maintain a network of agents in Bangladesh, tasked with locating citizens wishing to migrate to India and assisting them in illegally crossing the borders for substantial fees,” stated a senior police officer who wished to remain anonymous.
To date, the Kolkata Police and West Bengal Police have apprehended nine individuals linked to the counterfeit passport operations.
The most recent arrest involved Abdul Hai, a retired police sub-inspector from Kolkata Police. Throughout the final years of his career, he was primarily involved in the police verification process for new passport applicants.
The investigators have discerned a consistent method in the activities of these rackets that provide counterfeit Indian passports to illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators. Any infiltrator who unlawfully breaches the Indian border contacts local agents and expresses a readiness to pay significant sums for fake Indian identity documents. Initially, they are offered safe haven in various villages adjacent to the borders with Bangladesh, covering both land and coastal regions. Subsequently, agents arrange for counterfeit ration cards, which serve as the initial step in obtaining other identity documents. With these fake ration cards, they can acquire additional identification documents such as EPIC, PAN, and Aadhaar cards. The final step involves obtaining fraudulent passports based on these other fake identity documents.
