Bhubaneswar: The commissionerate police will soon seek the remand of suspected Bangladeshi national Mohammad Bashir (27), who was arrested Wednesday for allegedly attempting to obtain a passport by producing forged documents at the Regional Passport Office (RPO) here.
Bhubaneswar DCP Satyabrata Bhoi said Friday that police will soon apply for the remand of Bashir, who is a native of Faridpur district in Bangladesh, and one his associates so that their modus operandi could be known.
“We have concrete evidence that all the seven men trespassed into India from Bangladesh with the help of a middleman. We are trying to nab the middleman,” added Bhoi. Asked if there is a passport racket active in Orissa, he said it would be too early to comment on this at this point of time.
Meanwhile, Bashir and six of his Bangladeshi associates – SK Saidul (22) and SK Suhag (21), both from Gopalganj district; SK Farooq (28), SK Lubulu (35), SK Riwan (28), MD Asaraf (18), all from Faridpur district – were arrested under Sections 465, 467, 468 and 471 of IPC and Section 14(A) of the Foreigners Act, 1946. Bashir had reportedly named these men during his interrogation after being arrested.
All the seven Bangladeshi nationals were staying together in a rented house in Jajpur for the past three months. They were engaged in vending blankets, umbrellas, torches, etc., in the city markets to earn their livelihood, said police.
The seven men had trespassed into India with the help of a tout, who took Rs 3,000 from each of them, said a source in police. The Bangladeshis were trying to obtain passports in a bid to flee to Dubai to find work there, he added.
Thousands of Bangladeshi nationals are reportedly living illegally in the coastal belts of the state. PNN
