Chandola Talav police on Sunday detained 42-year-old Akbar Sheikh, a Bangladeshi national, for allegedly making illegal election cards, ration cards, PAN cards, unique identification cards and BPL cards using fake documents.
Investigations by the police revealed that Sheikh, a resident of Shah Alam area, is an agent who helps refugees from Bangladesh cross the Indian border by charging Rs2,500 per person.
Sheikh, who managed to create identification cards for three to four others and helped them enter Indian territory, is an illegal resident himself.
“Sheikh is an agent and can easily pass on vital information to terrorists. Investigations are on to find out how Sheikh managed to create identification cards using fake documents. A few more people are involved in the case and we are investigating further,” said police sub-inspector KC Vaishnav.
On October 22, 2008, Sheikh had been detained for similar reasons and was sent back to Bangladesh. “The government spent Rs 1 lakh to send him to Bangladesh within a year. Sheikh is said to have returned to India five days later and has since been staying here,” said Vaishnav.
Sources revealed that fearing a police raid, Sheikh used to operate from different parts of the city’s outskirts and rural areas. In the past one and a half years, 150 Bangladeshis have been detained.
