Bangladeshi man arrested for getting Indian passport fraudulently

Initial interrogation of the accused, identified as Apu Barua, revealed that he procured the fake Indian IDs in a fictitious name, Anik Roy, through agents in Tripura and Pune

Delhi Police have arrested a 26-year-old Bangladeshi citizen and booked him for cheating, forgery, and fraudulently obtaining Indian passport, Aadhaar card, and birth certificate after he was deported from Germany on Sunday morning, police officers aware of the matter said on Monday.

The police have booked the accused booked him for cheating, forgery, and fraudulently obtaining Indian passport, Aadhaar card, and birth certificate. (HT Photo)

A first information report (FIR) was registered on Sunday under Indian Penal Code’s sections 420, 468 and 471 and section 12 of the Passport Act and 14 of the Foreigners Act at the IGI Airport police station, the officers said.

Initial interrogation of the accused, identified as Apu Barua, revealed that he procured the fake Indian IDs in a fictitious name, Anik Roy, through agents in Tripura and Pune two years ago. His objective was to establish himself as a Buddhist Monk and settle in a European country. He also forged a membership letter of a respected Buddhist Gompa association and used it to procure an offer letter from Spain Buddhist association so that he could obtain a a Schengen visa, the investigators said.

Barua reached Germany using the forged documents but was caught there by the authorities that deported him to India, said a senior police officer, quoting Barua’s preliminary interrogation report.

“Several facts emerged during the interrogation of the arrested Bangladeshi national that will be verified by the investigating team. As far as the Indian IDs that he illegally obtained, our team will make efforts to identify and nab the agents who helped him get the papers. Our investigation is underway,” said deputy commissioner of police (IGI Airport) Devesh Kumar Mahla.

According to the police, Barua, who is originally from Chittagong in Bangladesh, had illegally entered India by crossing the Indo-Bangladesh border from Matiranga in Bangladesh to Sabroom in Tripura on August 11, 2021. After arriving in Tripura, he stayed in a hotel near Indira Gandhi Memorial (IGM) hospital for four to five days, during which an agent helped him obtain a birth certificate, an Aadhaar card and a Pan card – all in the name of Anik Roy. The agent charged him ₹6,500 for all the documents, the investigators said.

On August 16, 2011, the police said, Barua reached Pune via Kolkata. For some days, he worked in a hotel and then got a job as a security guard at a residential society in Shivaji Nagar in Pune. During his stay in Pune, Barua got in touch with a local agent, whom he has identified as Hussain, who helped him change his address in Aadhaar card from Tripura to Pune. Thereafter, he procured an Indian passport, he said .

“Since Barua is a Bangladeshi Chakma tribal who follows Buddhism, he decided to impersonate a Buddhist monk to leave for any European country and settle there. He got himself registered with a Gompa association and donned a monk’s attire. Over a period of several months, Barua travelled to Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam to create his travel history as a monk. Finally, he forged a membership letter of a Gompa association and used it to procure a Schengen visa using which he reached Germany,” the officer added.

The police said they were examining Barua’s travel history to ascertain when and from where he left for Germany and what all countries he travelled in between. His past antecedents will also be verified through the concerned agencies.

“Prime facie, it appears that Barua’s illegal arrival in India was planned and before leaving his country, he was already in contact with the Indian agents, who helped him obtain the Indian birth certificates and IDs. The arrests of the agents may lead to busting of an organised trafficking ring,” the officer said.