The issue of illegal Bangladeshi residents in Maharashtra has surfaced repeatedly. On July 2, the Regional Passport Office in Pune cancelled around 42 Indian passports allegedly acquired by Bangladeshis using counterfeit documents, as per information from the Pimpri Chinchwad authorities.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shivaji Pawar revealed that details regarding 42 passports came to light during the investigation of five Bangladeshis apprehended in January this year from the Nigdi area. The individuals were identified as Rocky Barua alias Debit Roy (31), Amiron Barua (28), Ankur Barua (28), Ratul Barua (28), and Rana Barua (25), all hailing from Chittagong, Bangladesh.
According to police sources, the Bangladeshis unlawfully entered India and were discovered residing in Sainath Nagar, Nigdi. They purportedly planned to use their Indian passports to travel overseas for business. Assistant Police Inspector AS Deshmukh, who was conducting the investigation, disclosed that three of the seized Indian passports were issued in Goa. 31-year-old Suyog Arun Lande from the anti-terrorist cell of Pimpri Chinchwad police lodged a police complaint regarding the incident at Nigdi police station, invoking sections of the Passport Act and the Foreigners Act.
An investigation revealed that several Bangladeshis received help in obtaining Indian passports from Sainath Yeilwad, a local agent in Pune’s Chandan Nagar. Rocky, also known as Debit Roy, and Jiku Das, alias Joy Chowdhary, another Bangladeshi residing illegally in Pune and Goa, were implicated in the scheme.. While Jiku and Sainath are still on the run, Debit Roy disclosed information about many Indian passports that have been acquired by Bangladeshis who had entered India illegally.
As per police reports, Bangladeshi illegal immigrants initially obtained PAN cards and Aadhaar cards, which they subsequently utilized, with the assistance of agents in Pune and Goa, to acquire Indian passports. DCP Sandeep Doifode from the special section of the Pimpri Chinchwad police notified the passport office about 42 Indian passports obtained by Bangladeshis who entered India illegally. DCP Shivaji Pawar issued a press release stating that the Passport Office then carried out verification and revoked all 42 passports following the instructions on July 2.
According to officials, Sainath, the accused who remains at large, faced additional charges in a linked case filed at Borivali police station in Mumbai. A team from Borivali police detained twenty Bangladeshi infiltrators and two Indians involved in a conspiracy to forge passports, Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, and other documents for the infiltrators. In May of this year, a Mumbai court pronounced all 20 Bangladeshi infiltrators guilty and convicted them.
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