Lucknow: The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh arrested a key member of a syndicate involved in illegal infiltration and human trafficking from near Varanasi railway station on Thursday.
The accused has been identified as Mohammad Abdullah, son of Mohammad Zakaria, originally from Myanmar. The syndicate reportedly aided illegal immigrants, especially Rohingyas and Bangladeshis, in obtaining forged Indian documents and settling in various states, providing them with financial assistance and enabling anti-national activities.
Following intelligence inputs, ATS developed leads through multiple channels. On Oct 11, 2023, a case was registered under various sections of the IPC, the Foreigners Act and the Passport Act against individuals linked to the syndicate. So far, 11 members of the syndicate have been arrested and sent to jail.
Inspector general of police, ATS, Nilabja Chaudhary said that Abdullah was operating under a forged identity as ‘Abdus Salam Mandal' with documents facilitated by the syndicate, led by Abu Saleh Mandal, Abdullah Ghazi and Sheikh Najibul Haq. "The gang was involved in smuggling illegal immigrants into India, creating fraudulent Indian identification documents and financially supporting them to settle across states. Abdullah himself used the gang's assistance to purchase land and build a house in West Midnapore, West Bengal," said the IG.
The IG further stated that during interrogation, Abdullah revealed his real identity and the role of the syndicate in creating fake documents with the name of ‘Abdus Salam Mandal." He also admitted having received financial help from the syndicate.
A mobile phone, three memory cards, Aadhaar card, an Indian Voter ID, a PAN card, UNHCR refugee card, and Rs 1,070 in cash were recovered from him. He was charged under IPC sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 419 (cheating by impersonation), 420 (cheating), 467, 468, 471 (forgery), 370 (human trafficking), along with sections of the Foreigners Act and the Passport Act.