A Bangladeshi woman, identified as Shanta Paul, has been arrested in Kolkata for allegedly using forged Indian documents, including Aadhaar and voter ID cards, to apply for an Indian passport, police said on Thursday. Paul, who was a small-time model and an airline crew member in Bangladesh, had entered India a few months ago on a valid passport and began staying at a rented accommodation in the city. According to Kolkata Police, Paul initially rented a room in the upscale Park Street area and used that address, through an agent, to obtain a ration card. She later moved to a flat in the Bikramgarh area in south Kolkata, where she allegedly collaborated with another individual to acquire fake Aadhaar and voter ID cards.
"Preliminary investigation suggests that the woman was trying to travel to foreign countries but couldn't do so from Bangladesh. She entered India with the plan of obtaining Indian documents to facilitate international travel," a senior officer said.
Using the forged documents, Paul applied for an Indian passport. However, during the verification process, officers at the Golf Green Police Station found inconsistencies in her responses regarding her date of birth and family background. She also failed to produce a valid birth certificate, raising suspicion.
Complaint filed, raid conducted
Based on a report from the Golf Green Police, the Anti-Rowdy Section (ARS) of the Kolkata Police filed a complaint at Park Street Police Station. A subsequent raid conducted on Monday led to the seizure of multiple documents, including a Bangladeshi passport issued in her name, an employee ID of Regent Airways (Bangladesh), and an admit card from Dhaka’s education board. Several forged Indian identification documents, such as Aadhaar cards, voter IDs, and ration cards, were also recovered during the raid.
Police are now investigating who assisted Paul in obtaining the fake documents and whether any officials were involved in the verification process. Interestingly, Paul’s social media accounts show posts where she claimed to be exposing individuals holding both Indian and Bangladeshi IDs. "These posts appear to have been part of a ploy to portray herself as a patriotic Indian concerned about national security," the officer added.
(With inputs from PTI)
