Police probe reveals Bangladeshis getting fake Aadhaar, PAN & bank accounts
Three kingpins held in Mumbai
Shillong, April 20: Meghalaya police investigated an infiltration racket involving Bangladeshis in Mumbai and arrested three kingpins.
The accused were involved in making fake Aadhaar, PAN and bank accounts.
In a statement issued on Sunday, police said the investigation led by IPS probationer and assistant SP Ashu Pant and guided by special SP Vivekanand Singh Rathore revealed a major criminal network facilitating illegal entry to different parts of the country through Meghalaya, identity forgery, and banking fraud by Bangladeshi nationals operating across India.
The operation to bust the racket began on February 14 this year when Meghalaya police received inputs about a group of suspected Bangladeshi nationals coming from Guwahati to Shillong. A checkpoint was set up in Nongpoh where five passengers- four adults and a child- were detained.
Though they presented Aadhaar and PAN cards, interrogation revealed the group’s identities as Bangladeshi nationals who had illegally entered India two months ago with the help of a smuggling network. They had travelled to Mumbai seeking job and were planning to go back to Bangladesh.
Forging documents and fake identities
The accused confessed to obtaining Indian identity documents including Aadhaar and PAN cards through Shaikh Mohd Mujib, based in Mumbai’s Sewri area. Mujib is alleged to be a key facilitator, arranging forged documents using fake address proofs and enlisting middlemen to move illegal immigrants through border towns to metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and beyond, the police said.
A follow-up investigation revealed a criminal racket in Mumbai involving Nusrat A Kazi and Jabir Yunus Shaikh, who used fake identities to open bank accounts in the immigrants’ names. These accounts were then allegedly used for loan frauds and cybercrimes, including being sold to cybercriminals for financial scams.
Mumbai operation
The special investigation team from Meghalaya led by Pant proceeded to Mumbai for further action.
The team, with support from Commissioner of Police, Navi Mumbai, Milind Bharambe, and operational backing by Mumbai police, executed a week-long series of raids across Navi Mumbai and South Bombay.
In the multi-location crackdown, Nusrat A Kazi and Jabir Yunus Shaikh were apprehended from Koparkhairane and Ulwe, respectively, while Shaikh Mohd Mujib was arrested from Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Marg, South Mumbai. Raids led to the seizure of forged documents, incriminating digital evidence, and tools used for fabricating IDs.
Police brought the accused to Meghalaya on transit remand for further investigation.
Till date since January this year, police in Ri Bhoi arrested 24 Bangladeshis including 12 women and 3 minors.
National security implications
According to the police, the case is not related to an isolated incident. “It reflects a well-oiled network of illegal migration, document forgery, and financial crime with serious implications for national security. With India’s porous and difficult-to-monitor borders with Bangladesh especially in states like Meghalaya and increasing internal political instability in Bangladesh, the threat posed by such infiltrations has grown significantly”, the police added.
Concerns are that thousands of such illegal immigrants may have acquired Indian documents and are being misused for various financial crimes. It’s a call for heightened vigilance from intelligence agencies and law enforcement across states, police, said adding that the case also highlights the urgent need for diplomatic engagement with Bangladesh, border infrastructure enhancement, and proactive policy measures to prevent such systemic breaches.
Success through joint effort
The statement said that the successful operation reflects the ‘excellent coordination between Meghalaya and Maharashtra Police, executed under the leadership of CP Navi Mumbai Milind and SSP Ri-Bhoi Rathore’. The joint effort of all officers involved both on ground and at the supervisory level is a shining example of inter-state collaboration in protecting national security interests, according to the police.
