Hyderabad: A 29-year-old Bangladeshi woman, who illegally entered India in 2015 and obtained fake documents, has been caught at Rajiv Gandhi International (RGI) Airport at Shamshabad while returning from Muscat, Oman.
The passenger, Sonali Ballav, from Pandav Nagar, Delhi, arrived at Hyderabad on flight 6E-1274 on Oct 16. During her immigration check, a Bureau of Immigration officer grew suspicious about her identity.On further investigation, it was revealed that Sonali was not an Indian citizen as her passport claimed, but rather a Bangladeshi national named Sonali, daughter of Ayyub Ali from Manikganj Sadar in Bangladesh.
Sonali later confessed to entering India illegally in 2015 through Petrapole-Benapole border in West Bengal. The 29-year-old claimed she settled in Delhi after marrying an Indian, Laxmi Kant Ballav, and fraudulently acquired PAN card, voter ID, Aadhaar card, and passport to blend in.
The authorities believe Sonali chose Hyderabad as her entry point instead of Delhi, her usual location, in an attempt to avoid detection. However, her plan backfired as immigration officers noticed discrepancies during the screening process.
A case has been registered under the Passport Act, Foreigners Act, and Bharat Nyaya Sannihita (BNS). Hyderabad police have also launched an investigation to determine how Sonali acquired the fake documents in Delhi and whether she was part of a larger network facilitating illegal border crossings. Police were also probing if other individuals crossed the border with her.