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.
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Karnataka HC quashes FIR against three men accused of 'preaching Islam' near temple premises
Bengaluru, Jul 25 (PTI): The Karnataka High Court has quashed a First Information Report (FIR) filed against three Muslim men who were accused of "preaching Islam" and distributing religious pamphlets near a Hindu temple in Jamkhandi, Bagalkot district.
The complaint had alleged that the men attempted religious conversion by making promises of employment and passed derogatory remarks about Hinduism.
However, the High Court held that there was no substantial evidence of coercion, fraud, or inducement--criteria necessary for prosecution under the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, 2022.
The court made it clear that mere expression or distribution of religious literature does not amount to an offence unless accompanied by forceful or deceitful attempts to convert.
"The essence of a free society lies in the freedom to express, discuss, and propagate beliefs," the bench observed.
It further stated that peaceful preaching, in the absence of coercion or allurement, is protected under Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to freely profess and propagate one's religion.
Additionally, the bench noted that the complainant in the case was neither the alleged victim nor a relative of one. As per Section 4 of the 2022 Act, only an aggrieved individual or their close relatives are permitted to lodge such complaints--making the FIR procedurally invalid.
