Two Bangladeshi nationals held with fake Indian passports at Mumbai airport

The two accused were arrested while trying to fly to Sharjah, United Arab Emirates using fake Indian passports

Two Bangladeshi nationals, who managed to procure Indian passports through forged AADHAR and PAN cards, were nabbed by the immigration officials at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport while trying to fly to Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Picture for representation

They were handed over to police, who arrested them. The accused were identified as Arif-ul-Islam alias Ali Ahmad, 24, from Cox’s Bazaar in Bangladesh, and Rashid-ul-Islam alias Tuffazal Hussain, 23, from Narayanganj in Bangladesh.

Both the accused were from poor families and were in dire need of money. They were put in touch with an Indian national based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, who assured them a safe passage to Sharjah via India using fake Indian passports.

Both paid the agent Rs1.5 lakh each, after which they were illegally brought into India from the Dawki border in Meghalaya in August this year. Within a couple of months, their agent managed to get them AADHAR and PAN cards, and used them to procure Indian passports issued from the Indian Passport office in Ahmedabad.