On 29th November, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) arrested Mohammad Abdullah, a Rohingya infiltrator from Myanmar. He reportedly conducted reconnaissances of four key locations in Varanasi, including Gyanvapi. According to media reports, Abdullah entered India illegally via Bangladesh and obtained forged Indian identity documents, including Aadhaar, voter card, and PAN card.
He was living in the Durgabankati area of Medinipur district, West Bengal. On 28th November, he arrived in Varanasi by train and was seen visiting several locations, including Uday Pratap College and three mosques in areas like Dalmandi. On 29th November, he reached Gyanvapi and tried to interact with local residents, which raised suspicions.
Notably, recently the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board claimed that Uday Pratap College in Varanasi is located on Waqf property.
The ATS was alerted about his activities. He was apprehended by the ATS at Varanasi Cantt station, where he was preparing to board a train back to West Bengal. During interrogation, Abdullah confessed that he facilitated the illegal entry of Rohingyas into India via Bangladesh. He also admitted to having been residing in Medinipur under the alias Abdul Salam Mandal since 2018, using forged documents.
A forged identity and questionable activities
During interrogation, Rohingya infiltrator Abdullah revealed that he originally hails from Mangdu in the Arakan district of Myanmar. He established his base in Medinipur, where he had also got married. Investigation agencies are now probing details about his wife and other possible associates. The ATS recovered mobile phones, three memory cards, forged documents such as Aadhaar card, PAN card, and voter card, a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) card, and Rs 1,070 in cash.
Notably, it has been revealed that this was not the first time Abdullah had a run-in with the law. A case has already been registered against him at the Lucknow ATS in connection with a network of infiltrators linked to individuals arrested from Deoband, Saharanpur. Other accused in that case included Abu Saleh Mandal, Abdullah Ghazi, and Sheikh Najibul Haq.
The investigation into the matter is underway, and the ATS is looking into Abdullah’s activities and network, specifically focusing on his infiltration routes, forged documentation, and intent behind his reconnaissance of the sensitive locations in Varanasi that led to his arrest.
