Pune: A Bangladeshi woman who had repeatedly entered India on a tourist visa married a scrap dealer in Chikhali and stayed in the country illegally for over three years.
The Pimpri-Chinchwad police have arrested both the woman and her husband for illegal immigration and document forgery. The accused have been identified as Mohammad Rana Mohammad Salam Sheikh (33), a resident of Talawade, originally from Uttar Pradesh, and his Bangladeshi wife (30).
Frequent Visits on Tourist Visa Lead to Illegal Stay
According to Senior Police Inspector Vitthal Salunkhe of Chikhali Police Station, the woman's first husband, a welding worker, resides in Bangladesh. Since 2017, she had frequently traveled to India on a tourist visa and had even stayed in Mumbai for a brief period.
She came into contact with Sheikh through social media, and in December 2021, she obtained another tourist visa and traveled to Chikhali to meet him. She was accompanied by her child from her first marriage. Despite knowing that she was an illegal immigrant, Sheikh married her and they had a child together. She had been living in Chikhali for the past three years before being arrested by the police.
Forgery and Concealment of Identity
Authorities discovered that the woman’s tourist visa had expired on April 7, 2022. Instead of facilitating her return to Bangladesh, Sheikh provided her shelter. To hide her Bangladeshi identity, her and her child’s Bangladeshi passports were destroyed.
Additionally, she obtained an Aadhaar card, PAN card, and voter ID using forged documents, Senior Inspector Vitthal Salunkhe confirmed. The police have registered a case against both individuals, and further investigation is being conducted by Assistant Police Inspector Gomare.