The forged Aadhaar cards were allegedly made in Bangladesh with the intention for their holders to cross the border and travel to Chennai in search of labour opportunities.

On Tuesday, at around 3.35 pm, BSF personnel of the 73rd Battalion at the Bamanabad Border Outpost observed “suspicious movements” near the border. They raised an alarm and confronted five individuals who were attempting to cross the border. Reportedly, despite resistance and attempts to force their way through, the BSF personnel responded with a strong counter, causing the infiltrators to scatter. Quick Response Teams (QRT) were swiftly deployed, resulting in the apprehension of all five accused.

Upon interrogation at the Bamanabad Border Outpost, the Indian smuggler reportedly confessed to being hired to assist the Bangladeshis in crossing the border and receiving Rs 4,000 per person.

Further questioning of the four Bangladeshi nationals purportedly revealed that they hailed from the Godagari sub-district of Rajshahi, Bangladesh, and had obtained fake Indian Aadhaar cards from a Bangladeshi tout based there. Each of them had paid 1,000 Bangladeshi Taka for the forged documents.

The apprehended individuals have been handed over to the Raninagar police station for further legal proceedings.

DIG N K Pandey, Public Relations Officer of the BSF South Bengal Frontier, expressed satisfaction with the operation and the BSF’s “unwavering vigilance and quick response”. He emphasised the BSF’s commitment to ensuring the security of the India-Bangladesh border.