In a breakthrough investigation led by IPS probationer Ashu Pant, Meghalaya Police have uncovered a major criminal network facilitating the illegal entry, identity forgery and banking fraud by Bangladeshi nationals operating across India.
The operation began on February 14 when Meghalaya Police received credible inputs about a group of suspected Bangladeshi nationals traveling from Guwahati to Shillong. A checkpoint was set up in Nongpoh where five passengers – four adults and a child – were intercepted and detained.
Despite initially presenting Aadhaar and PAN cards, rigorous interrogation revealed the group’s true identities as Bangladeshi nationals who had illegally entered India two months prior with the help of an elaborate smuggling network. They had traveled as far as Mumbai seeking work and were now enroute back to Bangladesh.
The accused confessed to obtaining Indian identity documents – including Aadhaar and PAN cards – through one Shaikh Mohd Mujib, based in Mumbai’s Sewri area. Mujib is alleged to be a key facilitator, arranging forged documents using fake address proofs and enlisting middlemen to move illegal immigrants through border towns to metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad and beyond.
Further investigation unearthed a criminal racket in Mumbai involving Nusrat A Kazi and Jabir Yunus Shaikh, who allegedly exploited the fake identities to open bank accounts in the immigrants’ names. These accounts were then allegedly used for loan frauds and cybercrimes, including being sold to cybercriminals for financial scams.
Following this discovery, a special investigation team from Meghalaya, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Pant under the guidance of Ri-Bhoi SP Vivekanand Singh Rathore, proceeded to Mumbai. The team, with support from their counterparts in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, executed a week-long series of raids across Navi Mumbai and South Mumbai.
In a multi-location crackdown, Kazi and Shaikh were apprehended from Koparkhairane and Ulwe, respectively, while Mujib was arrested from Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Marg in South Mumbai. Raids led to the seizure of forged documents, incriminating digital evidence and tools used for fabricating IDs.
All accused have been brought to Meghalaya on transit remand for further investigation.
This case is not an isolated incident. It reflects a well-oiled network of illegal migration, document forgery and financial crime with serious implications for national security. With India’s porous and difficult-to-monitor borders with Bangladesh – especially in states like Meghalaya – and increasing internal political instability in Bangladesh, the threat posed by such infiltrations has grown significantly.
Authorities fear that thousands of such illegal immigrants may have acquired Indian documents and are being misused for various financial crimes.
