MP fake passport racket: Mastermind hid near military bases for 9 years, STF finds strong links

Gwalior: The investigation into an international syndicate accused of preparing Indian passports for 70 Bangladeshi infiltrators on the basis of forged documents is throwing up alarming facts linked to national security, as the probe advances towards the alleged mastermind, Riyal Chaudhary. While investigators say they have established how the fake passports were prepared, the larger question that remains is whether the 70 Bangladeshi nationals, who allegedly posed as followers of a religious order, sought only to obtain passports, or whether a more dangerous anti-national motive lay behind the scheme. Investigating agencies say they are particularly concerned about why the alleged mastermind, Riyal Chaudhary alias Mityanand Bhikshu, chose to set up illegal hideouts and safe houses close to some of the country's most sensitive and strategically important military areas.

Mastermind allegedly made two MP cities his base

During questioning by the Special Task Force (STF), Chaudhary reportedly admitted that he had illegally crossed the border from Bangladesh into India nine years ago, in 2017. According to the STF, after lying low in Assam for some time, he allegedly took on the guise of religious life and made two key cities in Madhya Pradesh his operational base:

1. Amla (Betul), near the Air Force depot: Chaudhary allegedly set up a long-term base at a Buddhist monastery in Amla, Betul. According to the STF, this monastery is located only 3 to 4 kilometres from a major Indian Air Force station, the 28 Equipment Depot. Investigators allege that he used the monastery's address to help several Bangladeshi nationals obtain passports, after which they went absconding.
2. Dabra (Gwalior), near the BSF Academy: According to the STF, the second major centre of the alleged fake-passport operation was the Tathagat Buddha Vihar and Ambedkar Park in Simariya village (Ward 1), Dabra. This location is said to be only 8 to 8.5 kilometres from the prestigious Border Security Force (BSF) Academy at Tekanpur.

Pakistani agents previously arrested in the area

The report notes that Gwalior city itself is also home to a strategic Air Force base and large military establishments. Pakistani agents have previously been arrested in the past on charges of spying on the Gwalior airbase. Against this backdrop, the prolonged, unidentified presence of foreign infiltrators near such strategic military centres raises serious questions about security arrangements, according to the investigation.

Local villagers reportedly could not understand their language

The probe has also found that a few years ago, unfamiliar individuals had stayed at the Buddhist monastery in Simariya Tekri and the surrounding area, and that local villagers could not understand the language they spoke. Local authorities reportedly had no concrete information about who these individuals were or where they had come from. According to the STF, the alleged mastermind Chaudhary chose the coronavirus lockdown period to carry out this alleged fraud.

The case

The STF has revealed that 70 Bangladeshi infiltrators allegedly had Indian passports made using forged documents. Those arrested in connection with the case include the alleged mastermind Riyal Chaudhary, along with Viplav Adhikari, Prayan Roy and Joy Chaudhary, as well as a passport agent named Naseem Akhtar, who was arrested in Bhopal. Further details are said to be emerging as questioning of the accused continues.