Mumbai: In a significant operation, the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) arrested five Bangladeshi nationals, including three women and two men, along with an Indian citizen in Kamathipura’s 9th Lane. The Indian accused, Mahadev Jeevalal Yadav (34), was apprehended for providing shelter and logistics to the Bangladeshi nationals.
Preliminary investigations revealed that several Bangladeshi nationals had entered India without valid travel documents and later obtained fake Aadhaar cards. Accused Urmila Khatun’s lawyer, Sandeep Pandey, claims that his client is not Bangladeshi, citing her possession of an Indian Aadhaar card and her enrollment in the Maharashtra government’s Ladki Bahin scheme since November, before the last Lok Sabha elections.
Additionally, police suspect that accused Mohammad Mustafa facilitated the trafficking of girls from Bangladesh to Mumbai. Investigations are ongoing, and more arrests may follow as authorities uncover the extent of the illegal network and document forgery operations, said a police official.
The arrested Bangladeshi nationals have been identified as Isti Jalal Fakir Samphul Sheikh (28), Alim Akhtar Gulam Rasool Ali (23), Urmila Akhtar Mulla Khatoon Islam Mulla Khatoon (23), Mohammad Mustafa Kausan Munsi (39), and Mohammad Osikur Rehman alias Ziadali Shaddar.
According to police, the accused were residing in India illegally and had created fake identification documents for personal benefits. A case has been registered under sections 336(2), 337, and 3(5) of BNS, along with other sections of the Indian Justice Code 2023, and relevant sections of the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1950, the Foreigners Act, 1946, and the Foreigners Order, 1948.
The arrests were made at Bungalow No. 308, 9th Lane, Dimtimkar Road, Kamathipura, around 5:00 PM on January 20, following confidential information about illegal immigrants misusing forged Indian identity documents. An FIR was registered at 00:33 AM on January 21, 2025, at Nagpada Police Station.