Bengaluru: Gang helping illegal Bangladeshi migrants get Aadhaar, other documents busted
Bengaluru(PTI): The Bengaluru Rural police said they have busted a nine-member gang, including a software engineer and a pharmacist, for allegedly helping illegal migrants, especially from Bangladesh, get Aadhaar card and other citizenship-related documents.
The gang had converted Rs four crore into Bangladeshi currency and transferred it to the neighbouring country in just one year.
According to the police, on April 15 this year, Rs 18 lakh was looted from an ATM at Chikkagollarahatti village under Madanayakanahalli police station limits. In this connection, police arrested Sheikh Ismail Kitab Ali from Bangladesh.
During interrogation, Kitab Ali revealed about Syed Akoon alias Shahid Ahmed who had come to India illegally from the Tripura border and started a scrap and plastic waste company in the city.
Akoon used to convert Indian rupee into Bangladeshi currency from his account through agents and transfer the money to his native country.
Based on his inputs, police arrested his son Suman Islam from Hottappanapalya under the Madanayakanahalli police station limits.
On interrogation, they revealed that they used to get the Aadhaar card using the BBMP letter-head, seal and signature of the BBMP health officers. They used to submit the documents to the Bengaluru One Centre and obtain Aadhaar card.
Their interrogation led to the arrest of Mohammed Abdul Aleem, who hails from Kulla in Bangladesh capital Dhaka. He used to help get illegal migrants get Aadhaar card using BBMP letter-head and seal. For this service, he used to charge them between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000. Following their inputs, police arrested Suhail Ahmed, Mohammed Hidayat, Ayesha, Mohammed Amin Sait, Rakesh, Syed Mansoor and Ishtiyaq Pasha alias Medical Pasha, who hail from Devara Jeevanahalli police station limits.
The police said Rakesh is a software engineer who became jobless post COVID-19. To make a living he used to create fake letters of gazetted rank officers.
Ishtiyaq was working as a temporary employee in a BBMP hospital, police said adding that he has confessed to creating many fake negative COVID reports, fake vaccination reports and fake seals of the gazetted rank officers for getting Aadhaar card.
The police said they have seized five seals of health officers at five BBMP hospitals, 26 fake letter-heads 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.
Hunt is on to trace the absconding persons, the police said.
The police said the kingpin has three bank accounts. 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 on 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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Delhi Polls: BJP faces protest, placates MLA amid resentment over ticket distribution
New Delhi, Jan 12: Resentment surfaced in the BJP on Sunday over ticket distribution for Delhi Assembly polls, with a protest held outside its Delhi unit office and an angry outburst by the outgoing MLA from Karawal Nagar who was not included in the candidate list released a day earlier.
As MLA Mohan Singh Bisht threatened to revolt after being denied a ticket from Karawal Nagar, the party rushed to control the damage and announced his candidature from the Mustafabad seat this evening.
A group of protesters from Tughlakabad in South Delhi held a dharna at the gate of the Delhi BJP office, demanding a change in the candidate from the constituency.
"Vikram Bidhuri Tum Sangharsh Karo; Modi Se Bair Nahi, Rohtas Teri Khair Nahi," the protesters, including mostly youngsters, chanted as the party leaders tried to pacify them.
In the second list of BJP candidates for the polls declared on Saturday, Rohtas Bidhuri was fielded from the Tughlakabad seat. In 2020 Assembly polls, Vikram Bidhuri who is a relative of senior party leader Ramesh Bidhuri, lost to AAP's Sahiram by over 13,000 votes.
A similar protest was also held by some party workers outside the Delhi BJP office against Mehrauli candidate Gajainder Yadav after the announcement of the first list of candidates earlier this month.
Bisht, the senior-most BJP MLA in the outgoing Assembly elected five times from Karawal Nagar, openly expressed unhappiness over being denied the ticket to contest from his stronghold.
A senior party leader said he was pacified after a meeting with BJP chief JP Nadda.
Bisht, after getting the ticket from Mustafabad, expressed confidence that he would win the seat for the BJP.
"I met the national president and things were ironed out. I have assured that I will contest from Mustafabad and win the seat for the party," Bisht told PTI.
The MLA said he and the BJP had considerable support in Mustafabad and he has already attended two public meetings there.
The BJP won the Mustafabad seat, having a significant minority community presence, in the 2015 Assembly polls but lost it to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2020.
Earlier in the day, Bisht told PTI that the party's decision to replace him with Kapil Mishra was "wrong" and its consequences will be visible after voting on February 5.
"You have challenged the 'samaj' (his Uttarakhandi community), not Mohan Singh Bisht. The BJP will lose at least 8-10 seats because of this decision, including Karawal Nagar, Burari, Mustafabad and Gokalpuri," Bisht warned.
The BJP fielded Kapil Mishra, a Hindutva hardliner, from Karwal Nagar in North East Delhi, which was rocked by massive communal violence just after the 2020 Assembly polls.
Sources in the party claimed that there was also "deep resentment" among the Delhi BJP's Scheduled Castes Morcha leaders over being denied tickets from different constituencies including Madipur and Kondli.
A top Delhi BJP functionary stressed that there are many ticket aspirants, so it is natural for those who did not get selected to feel disappointed.
"The BJP is a disciplined party and its leaders understand this. Sooner or later, everyone will realise this and work for the victory of the party giving up their resentment," he said.
The elections to 70 Assembly seats in Delhi are scheduled on February 5. Results will be out after the counting of votes on February 8.
The BJP, out of power in Delhi since 1998, is making all-out efforts to return to power. In the 2015 and 2020 Assembly polls, the party was completely routed by the AAP, scraping through with just three and eight seats, respectively.
