Mumbai: Acting on a specific intelligence input from the Southern Command’s Military Intelligence Unit, a joint team of the Army and MIDC Police in Ahilyanagar (Ahmednagar), arrested three Bangladeshi nationals who had allegedly been residing and working in the region illegally for the past two years using forged identity documents.
The operation was conducted at a construction site Mouli Crusher in Pokhardi ,where the trio was employed as labourers. During the raid, officials recovered fake Aadhaar and PAN cards from the accused, who had allegedly been using them to pose as Indian citizens.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Jhangir Alam Patwari (34), Mohd Hanif (40), and Mosharaf Sheikh (40), all natives of Chittagong, Bangladesh. Police said the trio had entered India without valid documentation and had managed to remain undetected by local authorities.
According to police officials, “The accused had been living in Ahilyanagar for over two years using counterfeit documents. Their interrogation is currently underway to verify any possible links to anti-national elements or organised illegal immigration networks.”
Sources said the arrests are part of a broader crackdown and that more such cases are likely to surface in the region. Authorities are now trying to identify other illegal immigrants residing in the area.
This development comes shortly after a similar joint operation conducted by Southern Command Military Intelligence and the Kondhwa Police Station of Pune City Police. On June 13, four Bangladeshi nationals were arrested from a labour camp near Punyadham Ashram Road, Notting Hill Society in Pune.
Acting on a tip-off about the presence of undocumented foreign nationals, the team launched a swift operation. During the raid, four suspects attempted to flee but were quickly apprehended. Identity verification confirmed them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
The four individuals were identified as Swapan Mandal (39), Mithun Kumar Santal (35), Ranodhir Mandal (29), and Dilip Mondal (38) all hailing from the Satkhira district in Bangladesh, a region known for frequent illegal cross-border movements due to its porous border with India.
Officials said that in both cases, the foreign nationals had managed to blend into the local population using fake documentation and were working in the unorganised labour sector.
Security and intelligence agencies have stepped up monitoring across Maharashtra, especially in areas with high labour migration. Police confirm the legal action and deportation proceedings have been initiated in both cases.
