The West Bengal Police on Thursday night arrested a Bangladeshi national who has been illegally living in Kolkata city for the past one year.
They have also seized a fake Aadhaar card and PAN card from the accused identified as Mohammed Abidur Rahaman, 37, a resident of Narail district, Bangladesh, the police said on Friday.
The police are also examining if Rahaman has any links with former Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Salim Matabbar, a resident of Bangladesh, who was arrested last month for illegal stay in India.
According to the police, Rahaman, a fabric supplier, used to have a valid visa and passport and travelled frequently between India and Bangladesh for the past 10 years. Last year, he decided to permanently settle in Kolkata even after the expiry of the visa and started living illegally in a rented accommodation in the Port area, they added.
Rahaman was produced in Bankshal court that sent him to police custody until January 6 for further interrogation.
The police said that they are investigating if the accused was involved in any human trafficking racket to bring more Bangladeshi citizens to India.
Rahaman claimed that he obtained the fake identity cards from an unknown place in North 24 Parganas, the police said.
Matabbar was staying in Kolkata for the past two years in the name of ‘Ravi Sharma’. He was arrested from Park Street on November 29 and all his fake documents were seized. The police have filed a case against him under the Foreigners Act and slapped sections related to cheating.
Meanwhile, in another crackdown on illegal immigrants, the police arrested 10 Bangladeshi infiltrators and five Indian agents engaged in human trafficking in Nadia district on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, in continuation to its drive against cross-border illegal activities, the police also arrested 13 Bangladesh nationals, including a woman and her daughter, in Nadia district on Thursday. Three Indian agents engaged in human trafficking were also arrested in Ranaghat in the joint operation by teams from Hanskhali, Dhantala and Gangnapur police stations.
The agents have been identified as Ashish Dhara, 25, a native of Dhantala, Basudeb Majumdar, hailing from Gangnapur, and Omsed Mullick, 62, a native of Hanskhali , the police said.
All the foreign nationals will be produced before the court while the touts will be remanded in police custody, said the police.