Bangladeshi woman living under fake identity for 2 years arrested in Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR: In a major breakthrough, the Special Task Force (STF) formed to trace illegal immigrants in Chhattisgarh has arrested a Bangladeshi woman who had been living in Bhilai’s Supela area under a false identity for two years. She was found to be using a forged Aadhaar card and had been availing government services using the fake identity.Durg SSP Vijay Agrawal, during a press conference, confirmed that the arrested woman’s real name is Panna Bibi, a native of Khulna district in Bangladesh.She had been living under the name Anjali Singh alias Kakoli Ghosh, using falsified documents including a forged Aadhaar card, which she used for treatment in a government hospital. The forgery raised suspicions, prompting authorities to investigate further, leading to her arrest.During interrogation, Panna Bibi revealed she illegally entered India eight years ago through the Bangaon-Petrapole border in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, using a fake passport and visa. After arriving, she spent five years in Sonagachi, Kolkata — a locality known for the sex trade — under the name Kakoli Ghosh. She then moved to Delhi for a year and later relocated to Bhilai along with a friend named Pooja.While living in Bhilai, Panna Bibi continued engaging in illegal activities and sent money regularly back to her family in Bangladesh, police said. The funds were first transferred to her contacts in Kolkata, who would then deliver the money across the India-Bangladesh border. Her mobile phone records show regular contact with over a dozen Bangladeshi numbers belonging to family members.The house owner, Suraj Saw, who rented his property to the woman without any police verification, was also arrested. Authorities have charged him for harbouring a foreign national without proper documentation and aiding an illegal immigrant.The woman was charged under multiple sections including Sections 318, 319, and 336(3) under BNS, Section 14(1) of the Foreigners Act, and Sections 3(2) and 3(3) of Passports Act.SSP Agrawal stated that the investigation will now focus on how she managed to enter India through illegal means, who assisted her in fiddling with the identity and document forgery. Police are probing into the possibility of a larger network involved in facilitating such illegal immigration.The STF will write to relevant agencies and authorities to further probe the case and take necessary action against all involved. Police recovered the fake Aadhaar card and mobile phone records proving the suspect’s continuous contact with people in Bangladesh.The accused woman had also been traveling between India and Bangladesh through border routes multiple times during her stay in Bhilai.This arrest comes as part of a state initiative to identify and deport illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants residing in Chhattisgarh.