Image Source: Indian Express
The Regional Passport Office in Pune recently took action to revoke 42 Indian passports following information from the Pimpri Chinchwad police. These passports were allegedly obtained fraudulently by Bangladeshi nationals using forged documents. The investigation into this matter began when five Bangladeshis were arrested earlier in the year from Nigdi, Pune.
These individuals, identified as Rocky Barua, Amiron Barua, Ankur Barua, Ratul Barua, and Rana Barua, were found residing illegally in India and were planning to travel abroad using the fraudulent Indian passports. The investigation, led by Assistant Police Inspector AS Deshmukh, traced the origin of three seized passports to Goa.
Further probing revealed that Rocky Barua and another Bangladeshi national, Jiku Das alias Joy Chowdhary, along with local agent Sainath Yeilwad, facilitated the procurement of Indian identity documents, including passports, for other Bangladeshi migrants. Despite efforts to arrest Jiku and Sainath, they remain at large.
The illegal immigrants initially acquired Aadhaar Cards and PAN cards, which they then used to obtain Indian passports through agents in Pune and Goa. DCP Sandeep Doifode of the Pimpri Chinchwad special branch notified the Passport Office about the fraudulent passports, leading to their revocation on July 2.
The police investigation also uncovered that Sainath was involved in a similar case in Borivali, Mumbai, where a racket involving the creation of passports, Aadhaar cards, and PAN cards for Bangladeshi infiltrators was busted. In that instance, 20 Bangladeshi migrants and two Indian nationals were arrested, with all 20 Bangladeshi individuals subsequently convicted by a Mumbai court in May.
In summary, the revocation of these 42 passports underscores the ongoing challenges related to illegal immigration and document fraud. The collaborative efforts between law enforcement and government agencies are crucial in identifying and addressing such cases to maintain the integrity of identity documents and national security.
