West Bengal Police Uncover Scheme for Counterfeit Indian Documents for Bangladeshi Infiltrators
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Kolkata, Dec 16 (NationPress) An investigation by the state police has unveiled that the rackets operating in West Bengal and engaged in the procurement of counterfeit passports for illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators are adhering to a consistent pattern and modus operandi while executing their activities.
Sources familiar with the situation indicated that the initial commonality among these rackets is that their bases are predominantly located in villages near the international borders, encompassing both land and coastal areas adjacent to Bangladesh.
The second notable pattern, as per sources, involves a systematic step-by-step approach in securing these fake passports. Once the intelligence about any Bangladeshi infiltrator crossing into India illegally is relayed to the masterminds of these rackets, their agents promptly reach out to the infiltrators.
Those willing to pay significant sums for obtaining the counterfeit passport are first provided accommodation in a secure location within one of the bordering villages. Subsequently, the process typically begins with acquiring other Indian identity documents, starting with ration cards, and followed by essential documents like Aadhaar cards, EPIC cards, and PAN cards.
The concluding step, according to sources, involves the arrangement for fake passports. The entire operation tends to cost between Rs 2,00,000 and Rs 3,00,000.
Recently, the coastal police division of the West Bengal Police apprehended two key figures of such a racket, identified as Samaresh Biswas and Deepak Mondal, the latter being a contractual employee with the Indian Postal Department.
His son, Ripon Mondal, was arrested prior by state police. On Sunday, a district court in West Bengal placed Biswas and Mondal under police custody until December 20.
Sources noted that their modus operandi was strikingly similar to another racket based in the Indo-Bangladesh bordering Nadia district, which facilitated the issuance of a fake passport for former Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) member Selim Matabbar, who was recently detained from a hotel in the Park Street area of central Kolkata.
These counterfeit passport rackets functioning across various regions of West Bengal, particularly in districts bordering Bangladesh, have emerged as a significant concern for intelligence and security agencies, amid rising fears of illegal immigration due to the ongoing crisis in Bangladesh.
