Twenty Bangladeshi citizens were found guilty on 24th May by Maharashtra’s Mumbai Killa Court of entering India without any valid documents, and fabricating Aadhar cards, birth certificates, Indian passport and other documents claiming permanent residency. The court fined each offender Rs 4,000, and sentenced them to eight months in prison which will be increased to 16 months if the penalty remains unpaid.
The case dates back to 19th October of last year when Borivali police apprehended three citizens of Bangladesh, and submitted a First Information Report and placed them under arrest for multiple violations. Afterwards, the authorities nabbed seventeen other Bangladeshi nationals from Pune, Virar and Nalasopara. Two Pune-based agents who had played a key role in assisting the twenty infiltrators in creating Indian documents were also arrested during the probe. A charge sheet was submitted to the court by investigating officer PI Kale after he had all the required evidence from Bengal and Pune.
The Pune Commissioner had opened an investigation into the case, and suspended the concerned policemen from three police stations for their involvement in unlawful activity, and co-operating with agents to help with illegal documentation.
Four police officers from three Pune city police stations were revealed to have been involved in the passport verification process for the illegal Bangladeshis following a month-long investigation. An officer reported that constables assigned to the passport sections were deemed to have been reckless. A detailed report on this was given to Commissioner Ritesh Kumar by the local Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP).
Ritesh Kumar conveyed, “We swiftly initiated an inquiry into this matter and appointed a DCP-rank officer for preliminary investigations. It revealed negligence by four police personnel assigned to passport verification duties at Yerwada, Wanwadi, and other stations. The inquiry is ongoing, and appropriate action will follow the findings. We maintain strict vigilance on illegal infiltrators, with about 42 cases registered against illegal Bangladeshis this year.”
Last month, five Bangladeshi nationals from Navi Mumbai were caught by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for living in the country without proper documentation. They were identified as Aahat Jamal Sheikh (22), Rebul Samad Sheikh (40), Ronney Soriful Khan (25), Julu Billal Sharif (28), and Mohammad Munir Mohammad Siraj Mulla (49). They worked as masons and hailed from two Bangladeshi districts. A complaint was launched by an ATS police sub-inspector, leading to the accused’s arrest under the Foreigners Act of 1946 and the Passport (Entry into India) Rules of 1950. They were held in custody pending additional investigation by Navi Mumbai Police, who also filed a First Information Report against them.
“Acting on a tip-off, the ATS led the operation and arrested five Bangladeshis, who were found living in India without valid documents. They were nabbed from Janai Compound and near Shivaji Talao, both in Ghansoli,” revealed an official. He added, “They were arrested under provisions of the Foreigners Act, 1946, and the Passport (Entry into India) Rules, 1950, following a complaint lodged by a police sub-inspector attached to the ATS. The Rabale police in Navi Mumbai registered an FIR and took the individuals into custody.”
