Bangladeshi National Arrested at Mumbai Airport for Fraudulent Passport
Arrest of Bangladeshi National
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Mumbai, July 27: Authorities in Mumbai apprehended a 36-year-old individual from Bangladesh at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport for allegedly using a fraudulent Indian passport.
The suspect, identified as Babu Biswas, also known as Tapas Biswas, raised the suspicions of immigration officials due to his accent, which closely resembled that of Bangladesh.
Reports indicate that Biswas entered India illegally in 2016 through the West Bengal border with his family. He resided in the Nadia district of West Bengal and worked as a daily wage laborer in Kolkata for nearly seven years.
After settling in India, he managed to acquire Indian identity documents, including an Aadhaar card and a PAN card. Using these, he allegedly obtained an Indian passport from the Kolkata Passport Office in 2019. Investigators revealed that he used this passport to travel internationally, visiting the Maldives twice and Colombo once in 2023 without raising any alarms.
A police officer stated that the investigation is now concentrating on identifying the individuals who assisted him in obtaining the forged Indian identity documents and passport.
Biswas was intercepted upon his arrival in Mumbai from Colombo. He approached the immigration counter to complete the necessary formalities, presenting his Indian passport and boarding pass.
An Assistant Immigration Officer on duty at Counter No. 23 noted that the passenger arrived on Sri Lankan Airlines flight UL141 around 3:30 a.m. Upon examining the passport, the officer suspected the individual might be from Bangladesh and asked him several questions, to which he could not provide satisfactory answers.
Following the initial questioning, the passenger was referred to the officer in charge of the Immigration Wing for further interrogation. During this process, officials determined that he was originally from Faridpur, Bangladesh.
Police confirmed their suspicions when Biswas contacted his wife in Bangladesh via WhatsApp, requesting her to send documents to verify his identity. She sent photocopies of land ownership documents registered in the name of Biswas' father, affirming his Bangladeshi nationality.
An official from Sahar Police Station reported that during questioning, Biswas admitted to entering India illegally with his family in 2016. He confessed to obtaining an Aadhaar card and PAN card with the assistance of a local resident before securing an Indian passport using these documents.
Authorities are now investigating the network that allegedly facilitated the creation of forged identity documents and enabled his illegal residency and international travel.
In related news, the Mumbai Crime Branch has initiated the deportation process for 53 illegal Bangladeshi nationals who were arrested during various operations throughout the city. The investigation into this case is ongoing.