Kolkata: Militant organizations like Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) are not the only threats leveraging the instability in Bangladesh to infiltrate India. Intelligence reports suggest that Pakistan’s spy agency, ISI, is also attempting to reactivate its sleeper cells in India, aided by these groups.
According to Intelligence sources, recently some suspicious youths entered India from Bangladesh with valid visas. They are associated with Pakistani militant organization Lashkar-e-Taiba. It is learnt that they entered West Bengal from Bangladesh with valid documents. Later, they held several secret meetings with youths in Malda and Murshidabad at different times. Allegedly, after brainwashing some of those local youths, they crossed over to Bangladesh again. And according to intelligence sources, they were supported by ISI in this entire activity.
The West Bengal Police’s Special Task Force (STF) has begun investigating these developments. Additional Commissioner (V) of Kolkata Police, V. Solomon Nesakumar, stated, “We have received some critical information and are probing the matter in detail. It’s too early to disclose everything now.”
The infiltration of militants to West Bengal with valid visas and their ability to hold secret meetings with Indian citizens have raised questions about the possible gaps in the police intelligence network. A state police intelligence official, on condition of anonymity, stated, “Bangladesh has increasingly become a safe corridor for these activities. Militants are even forging passports for their families in India, enabling them to bypass security checks.”
Reports indicate that these infiltrators are fortifying ISI sleeper cells by distributing fake identity cards and documents. Fake passports and visas make it easier for them to deceive law enforcement agencies. "One after another incident of making passports using fake documents have come to light that led to the Kolkata Police taking strict measures to prevent making of fake passports. Several special instructions have also been issued by Lalbazar Police," he adds.
According to intelligence sources, over 3,000 Indian passports have been issued using fake documents in the last five years. Many of these passports were obtained by Bangladeshi citizens who entered India illegally. They do this in exchange for a lot of money. Investigators have identified South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, and Nadia districts as hubs for these scams.
The modus operandi is suspected to be like this: Bangladeshi nationals enter India without valid documents and file false general diary (GD) reports at local police stations, claiming their ration cards are lost. These claims are often supported by dubious certificates from local public representatives.
The scamsters procure unused ration card numbers from employees of ration offices, which are then used to file GDs. Police stations reportedly accept these diary entries without proper verification. Using the GD, the infiltrators apply for new ration cards. These, in turn, are used to secure voter IDs, Aadhaar cards, and eventually fake passports.
The state police headquarters at Bhawani Bhavan has uncovered that agents facilitating these scams rely on gaps in local administrative processes. The unchecked issuance of fake documents has created a loophole that militants and their associates are exploiting.
An STF official from Lalbazar remarked, “For many Bangladeshi nationals, India is the preferred route to travel abroad. These passports, obtained illegally, are used for international travel, making it challenging to track their movements.”
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