Delhi Police busts illegal immigration gang; 5 Indians among 11 arrested

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Saturday claimed to have busted a gang facilitating the unlawful entry of immigrants into India for over a decade with the arrest of six illegal Bangladeshis, including the kingpin, and their five Indian accomplices.

The gang, operated by 55-year-old Chand Miya who reportedly entered India at the age of four, also forged identity documents so that the illegal immigrants can stay in the country permanently and gain employment, a top police officer said.

Based on information provided by Chand Miya, 33 more illegal immigrants were apprehended from Chennai, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-East) Ravi Kumar Singh said, adding two FIRs have been registered there by the local police.

More than 100 Bangladeshi nationals and agents allegedly connected to the network are now under the scanner, he added.

Besides Chand Miya, the other Bangladeshi nationals who have been arrested are Aslam (25), Mohd Ali Hussain (28), Mohd Mizan (25), Radish Molla (24) and Fatima Afross (32) -- an MA in English from a Bangladeshi university.

According to the officer, the five arrested Indian accomplices have been identified as Mohd Anis (41), Ranjan Kumar Yadav (32), Rahisuddin Ali (37), Shabbir (28), and Lokman Ali (35). They allegedly prepared fake Aadhaar cards, and birth and caste certificates, among other documents.

Police arrested Aslam from Taimoor Nagar here on March 12 following a tip-off and his interrogation led to the unearthing of the whole infiltration racket masterminded by Chand Miya who was residing in Chennai, the DCP said.

He said Lokman Ali used to receive Bangladeshi immigrants brought across the border by Chand Miya and facilitated their transportation to the Guwahati Railway Station in Assam.

From the Assam capital, the gang used to facilitate the illegal immigrants' travel by train to Delhi where they were sheltered and helped in securing jobs using falsified credentials. Many of them took up daily wage jobs, ragpicking, and scrap collection, the police officer added.

Police said Chand Miya used to charge Rs 20,000-25,000 to facilitate the illegal entries, primarily through West Bengal and Meghalaya.

"Miya is illiterate and came to India at the age of four years along with his father. Initially, he resided in a shanty at Seemapuri where his father worked as a ragpicker and later shifted to Taimoor Nagar," the DCP said. He moved to Chennai a few years ago.

"He travels to Bangladesh frequently and brings illegal immigrants with him each time. In March, he facilitated the illegal entry of Aslam into India," said the officer.

Police seized 11 Aadhaar cards obtained using fake documents, Bangladeshi ID papers, four hard drives, a laptop, a printer, a biometric scanner, and Rs 19,170 in cash during the raids.

While Anis ran a cyber cafe in Taimoor Nagar and allegedly prepared fake Aadhaar cards, Ranjan Kumar Yadav is a former Aadhaar enrolment operator.

Rahisuddin Ali ran a document service centre, while Shabbir and Lokman Ali provided logistical support and helped in document fabrication, police said.

Eighteen Bangladeshis previously detained have already been deported, police said, adding that efforts are underway to identify more members of the network and investigate its pan-India links.