Rohingya Refugees May Have Got Fake Identity Documents in Bengal

Kolkata: Central intelligence agencies have alerted their counterpart in West Bengal that Rohingya Muslim refugees may have procured several fake birth certificates, voter ID cards and residential proof documents in the state.

A similar alert has also been issued to other eastern states in the country.

The matter came in lime light with the arrest of Mohammad Ismail (20) in Hyderabad on September 11.

During interrogation he confessed that he is a Rohingya Muslims and procured a birth certificate from West Bengal.

“Ismail during investigation revealed that there are many who procured such documents from West Bengal and other parts of eastern India. We are working on this lead,” a senior police official in Kolkata said.

Speaking to News18, DCP, Rachakonda Police Commissionerate, M. Venkateshwar Rao, said, “He was arrested from a house in Pahadi Shareef area. He told us that he is originally from Myanmar and managed to procure, Aadhar Card, Voter identity card, North Dum Dum Municipality Birth Certificate, Pan Card etc.”

“We suspect more people are involved in it and we will send a letter to concerned municipality in West Bengal for their help in getting more details on how he managed to procured birth certificate. He was planning to go abroad in Dubai already paid some money to a local agent,” he added.

Due to the situation in Myanmar, several Rohingya Muslims have fled the country from 2014.

Ismail claimed that first he went to Bangladesh via Dhaka, where he boarded the bus to Kolkata with the help of one broker. Later, he went to Delhi where he stayed in Burma refugee campus and in January 2016, he got UNHCR card with reference No 305-15C02062 by UNHCR India.

Then he moved to Belgaum in Karnataka and worked in a mutton shop before moving to a house in Hyderabad.

When contacted North Dum Dum Municipality Chairperson, Kalyan Kar, he said, “Today I received a call regarding this matter and we will fully co-operate with the investigating agency.”

He added, “Our internal inquiry revealed that during 2014 (when Myanmar going through crisis) several fake birth certificates were issued from Dum Dum. This happened when this municipality was under CPI (M). This is a serious matter and I have already asked officials to treat such cases with utmost priority.”