Pramesh S Jain & Dr B Thomas (Special correspondent)
T
he Bengaluru Rural police busted a nine-member gang including a software engineer and a pharmacist,which was helping illegal migrants,especially from Bangladesh,get Aadhaar card and other citizenship related documents.
Senior officer told reporters,While investigating an ATM theft case where 18 lakh has been burgled in April this year,the Madanayakanahalli police busted a gang from Bangladesh operating in and around the city.
The police also arrested six persons including a software engineer and a pharmacist with BBMP health centre who are helping the accused to get the Aadhar cards and PAN cards to get them national identity.
The prime accused Sydul Akoon alias Shahid Ahmed native of Kulla,town in Dhaka came to India through Porous border in Tripura illegally in 2011 and settled in Hottappanapalya in Madanayakanahalli in the outskirts of the city to work as rag picker.He using his local contacts become a scrap dealer and set up a SA plastic agency .
Using his local contacts he obtained Aadhar and PAN card and other documents by forging the documents and opened several bank accounts to send the money obtained through crime using different hawala channels,Inspector General of Police (Central Range),M CHandrasekhar, said .
The other accused who helped Sydul in his racket includes his son Suman Islam,Mohammed Abdul Aleem,from Bengladesh,and locals identified as Suhail Ahmed,from DJ Halli,Mohammed Hidayath,Mohammed Ameen Sait,Rakesh,Aysha, Syed Mansoor,and Ishtiyaq Pasha.
He further said,that among the accused Rakesh is a software engineer,who lost job during Covid first wave and started working with the accused to forge the documents including fake seal and recommendation letter from the gazetted officials.
Ishtiyaq Pasha,working as pharmacist on contract basis in a BBMP health centre creating fake covid negative reports and Vaccine certificate.
He used to help get illegal migrants get Aadhaar card using BBMP letterhead and seal.For this service, he used to charge Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 from them.
Ishtiyaq also instrumental in getting the seal of the BBMP health officials to help create Aadhar cards for the accused using fake seal and signature of the officials .
Using this Modus operandi,the accused had created as many as 125 Aadhar cards for the Bangla Nationals for the last one year.
The police have seized 32 Aadhar cards and many application forms from the accused and efforts are on to track down the beneficiaries,Mr. Chandrashekhar,said .
Further investigations revealed that Sydul using the Aadhar cards opened three bank accounts and made a transactions worth Rs.4 crore.
The accused would send the money illegally to his country through many bank accounts.
As soon as the racket was busted,the district police launched a special drive to identify illegal Bangldesh nationals who are residing in and around the city with valid documents and Ids.
The police also said that there is a lapses on part of the cross check for Aadhar enrollment,and they are writing to the UIDAI for necessary action.
Police seized five seals of health officers at five BBMP hospitals including the reputed Bowring Hospital,26 fake letterheads to create fake seals, 16 mobile phones,three CPUs,two laptops,two printers,31 Aadhaar cards,13 PAN cards,28 voter IDs,four E-Shram cards,five driving licence,three Ayushman Bharat Health Cards,two ATM cards, three voter ID application,form-6,92 certificates for Aadhaar enrolment/update form with seals of BBMP medical officers from the accused persons.
Hunt is on to trace the absconded persons, police said.
M Chandrashekhar further said the kingpin has three accounts in SBI and Axis Bank.From these accounts,the money was transferred to various other accounts in Kolkata,Chennai and Punjab.
Further,the Indian currency was converted into Bangladeshi currency with the help of those doing business in India-Bangladesh border and then send it to Bangladesh.
It has come to light that in one year he has converted Rs four crore in Bangladeshi currency and transferred it to his native country.
There is a need to freeze at least 13 bank accounts across India and investigate them, police said in a statement.
Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra lauded the Bengaluru rural police for busting the network.
Emphasising upon keeping a tight vigil on those who harbour illegal migrants and their activities, Jnanendra said,Our government has taken the issue of illegal migrants seriously and will initiate stringent action against them.
Directions have been given to the officers to take stringent action against illegal migrants in every police station of the state.
The case came to light after the arrest of Jammu and Kashmir terrorist Talib Hussain Gujjar in Bengaluru.
The terrorist was holed up in a mosque in Okalipuram in Srirampura in the city for the past eight years and used to give sermons every Friday.
Finally Karnataka State Home Minister,Araga Jnanendra,DG-IGP,Praveen Sood has appreciated IGP Central Range,M Chandrashekhar,SP,Rural,Vamshi Krishna,Addl SP, Lakshmi Ganesh,DYSP,KC Gautham Kumar,PI,Manjunath and his whole crime team of Madanayakanahalli Police station for their meticulous and excellent work and investigation done in busting the racket a suitable reward will be given to whole team he added.
