Raipur: The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested three Bangladeshi nationals at Mumbai Airport before they could flee to Iraq. The three individuals, identified as brothers, had been residing in Mishra Bada, Tikrapara, Raipur, using fake documents.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Mohammad Ismail (27), Sheikh Akbar (23), and Sheikh Saajan (22). Originally from Nabharan, Jasore district, Khulna province in Bangladesh, they had been living in Raipur under false identities. Their father, Shamsuddin, mother Rashida, brother Python, sister Suraiya, and Yasmin—wife of Ismail—along with his two daughters, are currently in Bangladesh.
Charges have been registered against them under sections 318(4), 338, 340, and 111 of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) Act, along with Section 12(E) of the Indian Passport Act.
Following orders from the state government, the police had recently taken around 3,000 suspects into custody for verification, leading to the imprisonment of approximately 250 individuals. During this operation, authorities discovered the activities of these three individuals, who were attempting to escape to Iraq. They were apprehended at Mumbai Airport with the assistance of Nagpada police.
Investigations revealed that the trio had fraudulently obtained Indian passports using fake educational mark sheets linked to Raipur addresses. They had planned to travel from Raipur to Mumbai via the Howrah-Mumbai Mail train before departing for Baghdad on January 26, 2025.
During the arrest, authorities recovered Indian passports, Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, voter ID cards, and valid Baghdad visas. The suspects admitted during interrogation that they had no plans to return to India and were leaving under the guise of a pilgrimage.
It was also revealed that the three had obtained their fake Indian identity documents while living in Raipur. Their fraudulent birth certificates and other documents were allegedly arranged through Mohammad Arif, a hospital operator, to avoid detection by authorities. Reports suggest that several others have previously used similar means to acquire fake documents and leave the country without returning.
The ATS has now brought the three accused back to Raipur on a transit remand for 3 days in order to have further investigation.
Raipur ATS Officer Sahu told FPJ over phone, all the three accused chatted to their parents and known people in Bangladesh over application ‘IMO’ and during the investigation it was found that birth certificate, residential certificate on the basis of which they obtained Aadhar and Passport were fake. We are further investigating their other suspicious links, he added.
