Gaighata: A man was arrested for allegedly running a fake passport racket under the garb of a Behala-based travel agency, from Gaighata in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on Sunday, police said.
Police said accused, Manoj Gupta, produced fraudulent documents to get Indian passports and it is believed that he took shelter in Gaighata to evade arrest. In Gaighata, he was given shelter by a woman in a rented house, where she lived with her son.
When police team reached the woman's house yesterday, she claimed she did not know Manoj or what he did. "The day before yesterday, my cousin brother brought him to my house and said that he would stay here for two days due to some family problems. Trusting my brother, I allowed him to stay in one of the rooms where I live on rent for two days," she said.
According to the woman, her brother, Tapan Bhadra, runs a gold shop in Chandpara Bazaar. The house where the woman lives is owned by one Bishwajit Das, who has two tenants in his house.
Meanwhile, Tapan Bhadra's phone was found switched off and his shop too was shut. His wife Swapna Bhadra said, "We do not know anyone by the name Manoj Gupta. No one with this name has ever come to our house."
Residents of the area were shocked by this incident. Debashis Ghosh, a neighbour said, "Biswajit Das does not live in this house. Two families stay at his house and the main gate is locked most of the day. Thus, not many people are seen going inside or exiting the house."
Notably, Gaighata is near the India-Bangladesh border and many areas lack barbed wire fences. There have been allegations of infiltration in this area in the past.
Police said investigations are underway.
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