Kolkata: In a major development in the arrest case of Bangladeshi model Shanta Pal, a youth detained on Tuesday from Naihati allegedly promoted his illegal document fabrication business through social media posts.
The accused, Soumik Dutta of Naihati, ran a photocopy shop on Atal Sarkar Road, which he used as a front for his illicit activities. According to police sources, Dutta had engaged several agents to bring him clients for arranging fake identity documents.
Pal, who was attempting to obtain Indian documents in her name, reportedly contacted Dutta, who facilitated the procurement. Investigators suspect Dutta had a network of individuals to whom he outsourced the fabrication of forged documents.
One such associate has been identified as Sheikh Momtajuddin from Memari in East Burdwan.
He allegedly prepared Pal’s fake voter and Aadhaar cards and was arrested following Dutta’s interrogation. Sources revealed that there were fixed rate charts for manufacturing different identity documents, including Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards. The entire operation—from receiving payments to delivering forged documents—was conducted online and remotely.
Police suspect that several more individuals may be linked to the
illegal racket and further investigation is underway.