One of the reasons behind the Centre’s renewed push to send illegal Bangladeshi immigrants back to their country is the growing suspicion, triggered by an ongoing probe of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), that some of them may actually be Pakistani nationals who crossed over illegally through Bangladesh, The Indian Express has learnt.
Sources said the ED probe is linked to an arrest made by the agency in on April 15 of a man identified as Ajad Mallik alias Ahammed Hossain Azad in connection with a money laundering case.
At the time, sources said, Mallik was under probe for being an illegal immigrant from Bangladesh who was allegedly running a passport and visa racket. But when the agency conducted searches at premises associated with him, it found ID papers linking him to Pakistan, including a driving license from Karachi, sources said.
Speaking to , a senior ED official described Mallik as “a deep asset” of the Pakistani establishment. “He was planted rather meticulously. A scan of his phone shows he has made close to 300 calls to Pakistan in the past few years. He is part of multiple Pakistani WhatsApp groups. We are probing these for suspected espionage activities. He was also getting fake passports and visas made. It is being probed if he has helped Pakistani citizens illegally enter India,” the official said.
Late last month, in a submission related to the case before a PMLA court in Kolkata, the ED said the “evidence on record suggests that he (Mallik) is undertaking activities on the instructions received from persons based out of Pakistan”.
The agency is now verifying all of Mallik’s contacts in India, including those who obtained ID papers from him. Officials said the agency has also frozen `2.62 crore in bank accounts linked to him and alleged that the funds were being siphoned to Bangladesh.
“Investigation has revealed that Ajad Mallik, initially suspected to be Bangladesh National by the name Ahammed Hossain Azad, was actually Azad Hussain, a Pakistan National… living in India under the assumed identity of Ajad Mallik in Bankara, Birati, PS Airport, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal. Azad Hussain was found involved in fraudulently obtaining Indian Identity documents for illegal immigrants from Bangladesh in lieu of money,” the ED told the special court.
Sources said Mallik is suspected to have entered Bangladesh in the early 2000s and acquired citizenship after marrying a local resident. Investigators believe Mallik illegally entered India around ten years ago, sources said, although his family continues to live in Bangladesh.
The ED has claimed in court that Mallik fraudulently obtained Indian documents, such as voter ID, driving license, passport and an — and even voted in a Parliamentary election and an Assembly poll in West Bengal. He has also been running a “flourishing business” of procuring Indian ID papers for illegal immigrants, the agency has claimed.
According to the ED submission, Mallik was allegedly in touch with a number of agents or touts for making fake Indian ID cards, including passports for Bangladeshi nationals for money.
“Azad Hussain alias Ajad Mallik is also found to be in regular touch with various agents all over India and involved in creating fake visa for people seeking jobs abroad. The incriminating conversations reveal that Azad Hussain is instructing agents to forge/ edit passport/ visa of individuals. Suspected persons are found to be using multiple mobile numbers and changing them frequently. Further investigation is underway in this regard,” the ED told court.
The Centre has increased its surveillance of illegal immigrants in the country over the past couple of months, particularly after the Pahalgam terror attack.
