Seven Bangladeshi illegal immigrants arrested in Udupi

The Udupi police have arrested seven Bangladeshi immigrants on the charge of using fake Aadhaar cards to stay in Udupi for over three years.

Udupi Superintendent of Police K. Arun said in a statement on Saturday that they were staying with one Mohammed Manik, 26, who was caught by Immigration officials at the Mangaluru airport on October 10. The officials had found Manik using a fake passport to fly to Dubai.

Based on the information that was provided, the Udupi police have arrested the seven persons. Investigation is on as to how the accused secured fake Aadhaar cards and how they sneaked into India from Bangaladesh.

A case has been registered in Malpe police station for offences under Sections 318 (cheating), 336 (forgery of valuable document) and 340 (forged document used as genuine) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). All the seven are in police custody, Dr. Arun stated.

In a complaint against Manik to Mangaluru city’s Bajpe police, the immigration authorities said Manik came to the airport around 6 p.m. on October 10 to catch a flight to Dubai. After looking at his passport, visa, and other documents, the authorities found Manik to be a Bangladeshi national named Mohammed Manik Hussain.

Manik, a construction labourer, his brother, and a few other Bangladeshi nationals illegally entered West Bengal. They travelled via Chennai and Moodbidri to reach Udupi in 2017. One Parvez, an Indian resident, helped Manik in getting an Indian passport through fraudulent means, the official stated.

The Bajpe police arrested Manik for offences under Sections 319 (cheating by personation), 336 and 340 of BNS, Sections 12, 1A(a) (b) of the Passport Act and under Sections 14, 14(A) and 14 (B) of Foreigners Act.

NIA probe sought

Expressing concern over the presence of illegal immigrants, Yashpal Suvarna, Udupi MLA, said on Saturday that a high-level inquiry should be conducted into the presence of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in Malpe, a big fishing harbour.

In a statement, the MLA said all those who have helped these illegal immigrants should be arrested. He appealed to the Union government to order a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to unearth the racket behind issuance of fake passports and Aadhaar cards to allow illegal immigrants to settle in Udupi and other parts of coastal Karnataka.

Published - October 12, 2024 07:02 pm IST