On June 22, Minar Hemayat, a Bangladeshi national, was arrested by the Surat Special Operations Group (SOG) in Gujarat for living under a forged Hindu identity. Hemayat, who was posing as Shuvo Sunil Das, is the latest in a series of arrests highlighting the growing concern over illegal Bangladeshi immigrants living under false identities in India.
Hemayat, a Bangladeshi Muslim, was apprehended in the Una area of Surat. Authorities recovered multiple forged documents under his assumed Hindu identity, including an Indian school leaving certificate, an Aadhar card, a residency permit for Qatar, an Indian passport, and a house rent agreement. Additionally, Bangladeshi documents such as birth certificates, school certificates, and national ID cards were found.
Reports indicate that Hemayat entered India through the Satkhira border in West Bengal in 2020. He obtained the forged documents in Nadia district, West Bengal, which is governed by Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress. Using these documents, he secured an Indian passport and worked in Doha, Qatar, from 2021 to 2023 before relocating to Surat for construction work.
Broader Trend of Illegal Immigration
This incident is part of a worrying trend of illegal Bangladeshi nationals entering India and securing forged documents.
Recently, nine Bangladeshi nationals, including six women and three men, were arrested at Agartala Railway Station by the Government Railway Police (GRP) for illegally entering the country. The detainees included individuals from various regions in Bangladesh, such as Khulna, Narail, Bogura, and Sirajganj.
In another case, Rezaul Khan, a 32-year-old Bangladeshi national, was arrested in Noida for allegedly arranging fake travel documents for other Bangladeshi nationals. Police investigations revealed that Khan had been living in Noida for 10-12 years, preparing fake Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, and other documents.
Furthermore, three Bangladeshi nationals were detained at IGI Airport in Delhi while attempting to board a flight to Bangkok with forged Indian passports. Upon further investigation, they were found to be Bangladeshi citizens.
Other Notable Arrests
The Erode district police recently arrested seven Bangladeshi nationals in Perundurai, Tamil Nadu, for staying without proper documentation. These individuals were identified as S Monira, J Megamutha, S Shekhali, B Zahid Mia, M Anarul Islam, M Monirul Khaji, and N Metoon.
In Mumbai, Maharashtra police and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) apprehended four Bangladeshi nationals who had created fake documents to obtain voter ID cards and participate in the Lok Sabha elections. Investigations revealed that these individuals had obtained their fake passports from Gujarat and used them to secure jobs abroad, with some even travelling to Saudi Arabia.
National Security Concerns
The arrests and subsequent investigations have underscored the urgent need for stronger measures to curb illegal immigration and document forgery. These incidents pose significant risks to national security and threaten the integrity of India’s legal and electoral systems. Authorities are ramping up efforts to identify and dismantle such networks to safeguard the country’s security and stability.
