Daijiworld Media Network – Kolkata

Kolkata, Apr 5: Cracking down on a growing racket, Kolkata Police on Saturday arrested a man allegedly involved in an inter-state network that facilitated fake Indian passports for Bangladeshi infiltrators using forged birth certificates.

The accused, identified as Azad Alam, was apprehended by sleuths of the Security Control Organisation (SCO) from the Garden Reach area, located on the southern fringes of Kolkata.

According to police sources, Alam had submitted a birth certificate issued from Bihar while applying for a passport. A subsequent verification revealed the document to be fake.

During initial interrogation, Alam confessed to having obtained the fake certificate through a contact based in Bihar. Police are currently tracking the said agent and plan to coordinate with Bihar Police as the investigation progresses.

Sources claim this is the first known instance of a forged birth certificate from Bihar being used in a passport application in West Bengal, raising alarm bells across enforcement agencies.

Kolkata Police recently intensified operations against rackets dealing in counterfeit Indian identity documents used by illegal Bangladeshi migrants. The crackdown has already led to multiple arrests, including that of a retired sub-inspector.

Explaining the modus operandi, an official said infiltrators first approach local agents and are provided shelter in border villages. The agents then arrange fake birth certificates and ration cards, which are used to acquire Aadhaar, PAN, Voter ID and even Indian passports.

Further investigations are underway to dismantle the wider network and identify other operatives involved in the racket.