Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Dec 24: Within days of the Delhi government directing the city schools to ensure that they don’t admit children of “illegal Bangladeshi immigrants,” the Delhi police with the arrest of 11 persons on Tuesday is claimed to have unearthed a gang involved in managing illegal immigration of Bangladeshi nationals into India.
Among those arrested, four are Bangladeshi citizens and the rest were allegedly involved in making forged documents, an official said. “The gang was busted when our team tracked down four people involved in a murder case in Sangam Vihar on October 21,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Ankit Chauhan.
The Bangladeshi nationals – Midul Miyan alias Akash Ahmed and Fardeen Ahmed alias Abhi Ahmed along with their wives – were arrested and interrogated in connection with the murder of Sentu Seikh alias Raja. “During interrogation, the accused revealed that Sentu, who lived in their neighbourhood, used to bully them over minor issues. Further investigations showed that the accused had entered India illegally and had been residing in Sangam Vihar for several years,” the officer said.
They were found in possession of Bangladeshi ID cards (chip-based NID cards) and birth certificates. Around 21 Aadhar cards, four voter ID cards, and eight PAN cards were also recovered from the victim’s residence.
A team led by Inspectors Umesh Yadav and Umesh Sharma, under the supervision of ACPs Abhinendera Jain and Niraj Tokas, was formed to conduct a thorough probe into the immigration issue on the orders of the Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, Mr Chauhan said.
Further questioning of the accused led to the arrest of Sahil Sehgal, 26, who ran a “Poonam Online Computer Centre” in Rohini Sector 5. It was found that the centre was involved in preparing Aadhaar cards and other documents using fake IDs. Sehgal revealed that he was approached by illegal Bangladeshi immigrants through the deceased Sentu Seikh alias Raja, according to the police.
“Sahil used the fake website ‘Jantaprints.site’ to generate fraudulent birth certificates and sent them to his associate Ranjit for Aadhaar card processing,” the officer said. Ranjit, a resident of Sector 7 in Rohini, worked with Afroz, 25, an authorised Aadhaar operator at Karnataka Bank in Rohini Sector 5. Using fake birth certificates, Afroz facilitated the creation of Aadhaar cards.
Ranjit and Afroz were arrested, and investigations revealed that the “Jantaprints.site” offered fake documents, including birth certificates, matriculation certificates, caste certificates, COVID certificates, and income certificates, at nominal prices starting from ₹7, the officer said.
Payments for these documents were made via Paytm QR codes linked to a number registered under Mohammad Chand. Based on technical surveillance, Mohammad Chand, 28, from Uttam Nagar, was arrested from Vikas Nagar, Delhi. He confessed to retaining a 2% commission and transferring the remaining amount to Saddam Hussain.
Saddam Hussain, 33, from Uttam Nagar, was arrested, leading to the discovery that the “Jantaprints.site” was operated by his associate, Deepak Mishra. Saddam transferred the payments to Deepak Mishra, retaining a 2% share for himself.
Mr Saxena had written to the Chief Secretary Dharmendra and Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora asking them to launch a special two-month drive to identify and initiate “strict action” against illegal immigrants from Bangladesh in the national capital.
The letter came three days after clerics and residents from the Hazrat Nizamuddin area met Mr Saxena and sought action against the “neighbouring country’s infiltrators living in the city.” Several prominent Ulemas and other Muslim residents living in the vicinity had urged the Lieutenant Governor to flush out the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. “In the wake of the gravity and seriousness of the issue, Hon’ble Lt Governor has desired that a two-month-long special drive be launched for taking stringent and time-bound action, as demanded by the Muslim community.”
The Delhi chief minister Atishi on Monday had directed the schools to ensure that they don’t admit children of “illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.” The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had also directed its education department to conduct a verification drive to spot such children at its schools.
“Schools must ensure strict admission procedures and verification of students’ documentation to prevent illegal Bangladeshi migrants’ enrolment,” an order issued by the Directorate of Educated said. “Accordingly, all heads of government, government-aided and unaided recognised private schools of DoE are directed to ensure that when admitting migrant children into schools, it is essential to follow a thorough careful process to ensure that all necessary documentation is submitted, verified and handled properly,” it added.
The order said in case of any doubt, the school heads should refer the matter to the local police and the revenue authority. Posting the order on X, Chief Minister Atishi said, “Today, the Education Department of the Delhi government has passed a strict order that no Rohingya should be given admission in the government schools of Delhi. We will not let the rights of the people of Delhi be taken away!”