Kolkata: The Kolkata Police have issued lookout notices against 69 Bangladeshi infiltrators who procured Indian passports by furnishing fake documents after illegally entering the country through porous borders at different points in time.
The lookout notices have been issued in apprehension that these 69 Bangladeshi infiltrators are still staying in hideouts in India, particularly in West Bengal. The authorities fear that these individuals, who allegedly entered the country illegally, might flee to other countries. This move comes after the police busted fake passport rackets in the state, uncovering the identities of these individuals during their investigations.
To facilitate the arrest and prevent escape of these individuals, various departments such as immigration, customs, and border security agencies across the country have been put on high alert. The authorities have shared detailed information about the 69 Bangladeshi nationals with these agencies, according to sources within the Kolkata Police.
According to investigating officials, the 69 illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators are believed to fall into two categories. The first category consists of individuals who can be considered "economic refugees," driven by the desire to find better livelihood opportunities in India.
The second category, as suspected by investigators, comprises individuals with alleged ties to underground terrorist organisations based in Bangladesh. These individuals may have entered India with malicious intentions, including establishing sleeper cells in West Bengal.
The Kolkata Police recently submitted a charge sheet in a lower court in Kolkata, detailing the operations of fake Indian passport rackets based in West Bengal.
In the charge sheet, a total of 130 individuals have been named, and out of this, 120 are Bangladeshi residents, and the remaining are Indian nationals.
The primary allegations against the Bangladeshi nationals involve creating fake Indian passports by submitting counterfeit documents and paying substantial sums of money. Meanwhile, the Indian nationals implicated in the case face charges of acting as facilitators, assisting the illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators in obtaining fake Indian identity documents, including passports.
The cops investigating the fake Indian identity document rackets have identified a specific pattern in the operations of such rackets in this particular crime.
In the charge sheet, Abdul Hai, the retired assistant inspector who was earlier attached to the security control organisation of Kolkata Police and was arrested this year in connection with the fake passport racket in West Bengal, was named as an accused conspirator. The main charge against him was that he cleared police verifications for at least 52 applications for fake passports, reportedly against payment of cash.
(inputs from IANS)