Afghan national living illegally in Cuttack arrested at BPIA
Bhubaneswar: Immigration authorities arrested an Afghan national at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here on Saturday. The accused, Mohammad Yousaf (54), was apprehended upon arrival from Dubai on an IndiGo flight.
He was living in Cuttack under a false identity for several years.
DSP (immigration) Samapika Patnaik lodged a police complaint against Yousaf.
Yousaf, who was posing as an Indian citizen under the name Yaha Khan, was caught when immigration officials detected discrepancies in his documents during routine verification. A lookout circular (LOC) issued by Kolkata airport aided in his identification.
Based on preliminary investigation, city police said Yousaf illegally entered India in 2018 and since then established a sophisticated network of fraudulent documents, including an Indian passport, Aadhaar card, PAN card, voter ID and driving licence.
He was residing in Cuttack, while conducting business operations under his assumed identity.
During searches, authorities seized multiple fake identity documents, Indian and foreign currency, a mobile phone, gold jewellery, and around Rs 80,000 in cash. Bank documents under his false identity were also recovered.
"His intention behind using fake documents to reside in Odisha is being verified. Some Afghan nationals known to him have been doing sari business for long. But we are investigating all angles," said police commissioner S Dev Dutta Singh.
The accused has been remanded in judicial custody while investigation continues to uncover the full extent of his activities, police said.
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