Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday conducted searches at nine locations in Malegaon in connection with a probe into the alleged issuance of forged birth and death certificates across multiple districts of Maharashtra, allegedly used by illegal Bangladeshi immigrants to establish Indian identity.
According to sources, the ED initiated the action after registering an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), which was based on 16 FIRs lodged in different parts of the state.
The searches were confined to Malegaon and targeted the premises of government officials and private individuals, who either possessed forged birth certificates or had procured fake death certificates for relatives, possibly for misuse in legal or financial matters.
Agency believe the misuse of such forged documents poses a significant threat to national security and public trust in official records. The ED is expected to continue its investigation in collaboration with state police and other enforcement agencies.
