New Delhi police arrest illegal immigration gang leader

New Delhi: Police have arrested a key figure in a gang that helped illegal immigrants from Bangladesh enter India. The suspect, Iqbal Hossain, also known as Farhan Khan, is 44 years old and used a fake Indian identity to operate. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Aditya Gautam, Hossain managed a well-organized operation. He smuggled Bangladeshi nationals into India via Assam and helped them settle in Delhi and the surrounding region by providing fake documents. A special team from the crime branch was created to find illegal immigrants in Delhi. Officers went undercover as garment vendors to gather intelligence. They conducted several operations, leading to the arrest of Hossain and two other men, Razeeb Miyan and Mohammad Momin, in Badarpur. The police recovered many forged documents, including passports and identity cards. The arrested individuals were found to have messages on their phones showing contact with other traffickers. The police discovered that Hossain relied on local traffickers to help him settle immigrants in Delhi. Despite being married in Bangladesh, Hossain manipulated an Indian marriage to obtain fake documents and fit into society. He also ran a garment business that allowed him to hide illegal immigrants and give them jobs. In an investigation, Hossain revealed that an Aadhaar enrolment officer, Agrasen Kumar, assisted in creating fake IDs for the immigrants. Kumar was later arrested after police searched his office. Hossain has a background in rice trading and spent some years in England on a work permit. He returned to Bangladesh before illegally entering India in 2017.