Kolkata, 14 June (H.S.) – In a major breakthrough, the West Bengal police have arrested the mastermind of a multi-state fake document racket that was allegedly facilitating the illegal settlement of Bangladeshi nationals in India. The accused, identified as Ajay Kumar Das from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested from Maheshtala by Rahara police based on specific intelligence inputs.
Das had been living with his family in a rented apartment in a Maheshtala residential complex for the past five years. During the raid, police recovered a substantial quantity of forged documents, including Aadhaar cards, voter ID cards, PAN cards, and other identity proofs. Officials believe the racket may have been worth crores of rupees.
Preliminary investigations reveal that Das was actively producing and distributing forged voter IDs, Aadhaar cards, birth certificates, PAN cards, and even passports for undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants. He allegedly operated the entire network from his Maheshtala residence, charging between ₹5,000 and ₹10,000 for each document, with some cases involving payments of up to ₹50,000. Investigators also suspect the involvement of a few corrupt government officials in facilitating the racket.
The arrest followed the interrogation of three Bangladeshi nationals recently detained in Rahara. During questioning, police learned of an agent named Jiauddin Mondal, who was apprehended on June 10 from the Eco Park area. Mondal reportedly worked on commission for Das, and his disclosure led authorities to the kingpin.
Further investigation indicates that Das’s gang exploited loopholes in the Election Commission’s website. They allegedly used dormant or cancelled voter ID numbers to generate fraudulent identification cards featuring Bangladeshi nationals’ photographs and Indian addresses. These forged documents were then used to obtain additional papers, including passports and visas.
Police are now trying to determine the full scale of the racket and how many Bangladeshi nationals may have illegally acquired Indian citizenship through this operation. Sources estimate the figure could run into the hundreds of thousands. Authorities are currently analyzing Das’s mobile phone data and digital records.
Barrackpore Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central), Indrabadan Jha, said, “We are investigating who else is involved in the network, how it operated, and how many Bangladeshi nationals received forged documents. The accused is being questioned, and more arrests are likely.”
Officials are also exploring possible links between Das’s operations and international criminal syndicates involved in cross-border identity fraud.
Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh
