Assam: 2 men held for forging passport using deceased’s documents for Bangladeshi

The accused — Burhan Uddin and Faizur Rahman — both residents of Patharkandi, were arrested after police detected discrepancies during a routine verification process

Silchar: Two men from Assam were arrested in Sribhumi district for allegedly creating a fake Indian passport for a Bangladeshi national by using forged documents belonging to a deceased Indian citizen, police said on Wednesday.

During verification, it was discovered that all the documents were generated in the name of Farooq Ahmed, who had died several years ago. (HT Archive/ Representative photo)

The accused — Burhan Uddin and Faizur Rahman — both residents of Patharkandi, were arrested after police detected discrepancies during a routine verification process linked to a passport application filed a few months ago.

During verification, it was discovered that all the documents — including a voter ID card, birth certificate, Aadhaar card, and PAN card — were generated in the name of Farooq Ahmed, who had died several years ago. “The passport application was submitted in the name of one Farooq Ahmed. They managed to create a voter ID and other identity documents for the Bangladeshi national using details of a deceased Indian citizen. But we caught it during the passport verification process,” senior superintendent of police (SSP) of Sribhumi, Partha Pratim Das, said.

Police seized several forged documents, photographs, and a computer used in the creation of the fakes. The computer has been sent for forensic analysis, he added.

A case was registered against the accused. “This is not an isolated case. We suspect that more individuals — including foreign nationals — may have obtained Indian identity documents using similar forged paperwork,” an investigating officer said.

Police said initial findings suggest the racket has been active in the border areas for some time, helping Bangladeshi nationals infiltrate India by impersonating locals.

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The Bangladeshi national for whom the passport was being secured remains untraced, the officer added.

Meanwhile, the Assam Police arrested eight Bangladeshi youths at New Bongaigaon railway station for allegedly entering India illegally. They were also found carrying fake Indian documents. SSP Bongaigaon, Mohanlal Meena, said that an international human trafficking racket is suspected to have assisted them in crossing the border and acquiring forged identification.