B'deshi fake passport racketeer held in North 24-Parganas

Kolkata: Police have arrested a 22-year-old Bangladeshi national from North 24-Parganas, Sodepur, for his alleged involvement in a fake passport racket that has been operating from the state.

The accused has been identified as Sahid Ahmed Khan. In the course of the investigation, senior police officers of the Barrackpore police commissionerate came to know that the accused had taken refuge at a house in Sodepur area. A team of police officers raided the area on Monday night and arrested the accused.

After interrogating the accused, police came to know that the accused used to supply fake passport and identity cards to the Bangladeshi nationals who illegally intrude into the Indian territory. The investigators also seized many fake documents including fake passport, Aadhaar card, voter card and driving license from his possession.

During interrogation, the accused admitted his guilt and told the police that he used to distribute these fake documents to Bangladeshi nationals against huge amounts of money.

He also admitted that he was a Bangladeshi national but he had been staying here for a long time. According to the preliminary investigation, police suspect that some other people have been involved in this racket.

Police are also investigating if the accused had any connection with any terror outfits. The investigators are not ruling out such a possibility. They are also trying to know the names of other members of the fake passport racket. Police may also interrogate some of the local councillors in this connection.

The accused has been remanded to police custody after being produced before a court. A detailed probe has been initiated. Raids are being conducted to nab the other culprits involved in the racket.

In the past one week, two Bangladeshi nationals have been arrested from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International airport on the charges of carrying fake passports.