Kolkata, Jan 11 (NationPress) The investigative teams from Kolkata Police and various other agencies delving into the syndicates responsible for producing fraudulent Indian identity documents, including counterfeit Indian passports for unauthorized Bangladeshi migrants, have identified multiple rented bank accounts utilized to disburse application fees for these falsified documents.
According to sources familiar with the situation, there have been several instances where a single bank account was employed to pay the application fees for multiple counterfeit passports.
These rented accounts, the sources noted, were primarily owned by the sub-agents of these syndicates located in villages near the state's international frontiers with Bangladesh, who were primarily tasked with identifying illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators crossing into the Indian territory through the porous borders.
Sources indicated that in addition to earning commissions for directing potential clients from the main operators, these sub-agents also received a fee for allowing their accounts to be used for the application fee payments for new passport requests.
The method utilized was that the application fees were first transferred to the rented accounts online, and within an hour, the same amount was redirected for the application fee payment for new passport applications.
Upon completion of this process, the account holder received their commission in cash, typically ranging from 5% to 10% of the application fee.
There have also been instances where bank accounts were opened under the names of the applicants using forged documentation.
The investigative officials have recognized a distinct pattern in the operations of these syndicates engaged in facilitating counterfeit Indian passports for illegal Bangladeshi migrants.
Any infiltrator who illegally crosses into Indian territory and contacts local agents expressing a willingness to pay substantial amounts for fake Indian identity documents are initially provided with safe havens in various villages near the borders with Bangladesh, both on land and coastal.
Subsequently, the agents arrange for fraudulent ration cards for them, which serve as the initial step toward obtaining other identity documents.
With these fake ration cards, additional identification documents such as EPIC, PAN, and Aadhaar cards are procured.
The final stage involves acquiring the fake passports based on these other counterfeit identity documents.
