In July, the Pimpri-Chinchwad police arrested four Rohingya individuals, including two men and their wives, for allegedly residing in India illegally. The detainees were living in the Dehu Road cantonment area in Pune. Among them, 43-year-old Mujammil Mohammad Amin Khan is accused of constructing a house in Pune and procuring Indian identity documents, including passports, for himself and his wife.

According to police records, Khan originally lived in Myanmar with his wife and two daughters after completing a “Maulana course” from an Islamic organization. In December 2012, his family migrated to Bangladesh, where they resided in a refugee camp. While in Bangladesh, Khan struggled to find work and eventually learned about job opportunities in West Bengal.

Khan reportedly separated from his first wife during this period and married another Rohingya woman named Shafiqa, who had a son. By mid-2013, Khan, Shafiqa, and her son illegally entered India, allegedly facilitated by racketeers, crossing the international border in West Bengal.

After entering India, Khan initially traveled to Kolkata but failed to secure stable employment. He subsequently moved to Pune, where he found a job at a private company in Talegaon MIDC. The company provided him with housing, where he settled with his family.

The police investigation revealed that an unidentified employee at the company played a role in helping people from Myanmar and Bangladesh relocate to Pune. To supplement his income, Khan began selling children’s clothing at Dehu Road, sourcing the items from Bhiwandi in Thane district.

Forged Identity Documents
The police discovered that Khan had procured an Aadhaar card in Bhiwandi by paying just Rs.500 without submitting any legitimate documents. It is suspected that agents in Bhiwandi used forged documents to facilitate his Aadhaar card enrollment. Once he obtained his Aadhaar card, Khan used it to secure one for his wife as well. These fraudulent documents became the foundation for the couple’s Indian identity.

The arrest of the four individuals has brought attention to the methods employed by illegal immigrants to forge identities and settle in India. Authorities continue to investigate the case, including tracking down individuals and agents involved in the facilitation of illegal migration and document forgery.

The arrests highlight broader concerns about border security, the misuse of identity systems, and the exploitation of vulnerable individuals by trafficking networks. The Pimpri-Chinchwad police are pursuing leads to ensure accountability and prevent similar incidents in the future.

A special court on Thursday sentenced three Bangladeshi nationals to five years of rigorous imprisonment for harbouring members of the banned Islamic outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), an alleged front for Al Qaeda.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which took over the case in 2018, identified the accused as Mohammed Habibur Rehman Habib, Hannan Anwar Hussain Khan, and Mohd Azarali Subhanallah. The trio was convicted under the Foreigners Act and various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Arrests and Investigation
The case originated in March 2018 when the Pune unit of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested five Bangladeshi nationals for illegal entry and suspected ties with ABT. The ATS alleged that the accused used forged documents to enter India and were aiding banned outfit members.

Following directions from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the NIA assumed charge of the investigation in May 2018. The agency discovered that the accused had entered India illegally in 2007, 2012, and 2014. They obtained fraudulent identification documents, including PAN cards, Aadhaar cards, and voter IDs, to secure employment at construction sites in Pune. The fake documents were also used to procure SIM cards and facilitate the activities of ABT members.

Guilty Pleas by Accomplices
In October 2023, the special court sentenced two of the five accused, Mohammed Ropen Hossain and Mohd Hassanali Mohd Amirali, to five years of rigorous imprisonment after they pleaded guilty. The latest verdict pertains to the remaining three accused who were found guilty after a full trial.

Stringent Charges and Sentencing
The accused were charged under multiple acts, including:

Foreigners Act, 1946: For illegal entry into India.
Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920: For crossing borders without valid travel documents.
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA): For aiding and abetting activities of a banned outfit.

Indian Penal Code (IPC): For forgery and criminal conspiracy.
The NIA’s chargesheet, filed in September 2018, detailed how the accused fraudulently procured Indian identification documents and actively harboured ABT members, including a key figure identified as Samad Mia.

Photo Source: File Photo

In a significant development, a First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against Shri N.P.S. Monga, former Development Commissioner (DC) of Santacruz Electronics Export Processing Zone-Special Economic Zone (SEEPZ-SEZ), Mumbai, and Shri V.P. Shukla, former Joint Development Commissioner (JDC) and Estate Manager, for alleged corruption and procedural violations during their tenure. The case, registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), stems from a complaint dated 15th November 2022 by Shri Haresh Dahilkar, Assistant Development Commissioner, SEEPZ-SEZ.

The FIR alleges a series of offenses under Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (criminal conspiracy) and Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, implicating the accused in a conspiracy to abuse their positions for undue advantage.

Allegations and Procedural Irregularities

1. Awarding Contracts Without Competitive Bidding
   The FIR highlights that major structural repair and allied civil works, including waterproofing treatments at SEEPZ-SEZ buildings, were awarded in 2016-17 to M/s National Co-operative Construction & Development Federation of India Ltd. (NFCD) without any competitive bidding.
   The total project cost amounted to Rs.74.85 crores, with Rs.56.14 crores paid as advance by December 2017. This allocation violated the General Financial Rules (GFR), 2017, which mandate competitive bidding to ensure transparency and fairness.
   
   Further, NFCD, a cooperative society under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, was found ineligible for the project, as it was not notified as an authorized Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) by the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD).
2. Unauthorized Financial Commitments
   Despite the SEEPZ-SEZ Authority approving an expenditure of ₹40.48 crores, the work order issued to NFCD amounted to Rs44.58 crores, exceeding the approved budget by Rs.4 crores without proper authorization. Additionally, an extra Rs.7.77 crores was sanctioned for structural repairs without obtaining the requisite approval.
3. Quality Control Failures
   Audit findings revealed a weak quality control mechanism for monitoring the repair works. Inspections by the Disaster Management Advisor (DMA) in November 2017 identified major structural discrepancies, including defective columns and beams in the completed work. Despite repeated requests to rectify the deficiencies, NFCD took no corrective action.
   
   Furthermore, no Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) or Bank Guarantee (BG)/ Performance Guarantee (PG) was obtained from NFCD, limiting SEEPZ-SEZ’s ability to enforce compliance or penalize the contractor for deficiencies.
4. Procedural Violations in SEZ Allotments
   The FIR also points to irregularities in allotments made by the SEEPZ-SEZ Authority, where units were issued Letters of Approval (LOA) and Provisional Allotment Letters without adhering to the mandatory norms prescribed under Rule 17 and 18 of SEZ Rules, 2006.
   These lapses included:
   Failure to scrutinize mandatory documentation like pollution control clearances, fire safety NOCs, and building approval plans.
   Misalignment between export projections, installed capacity, and the allotted space.
   
   The FIR also mentions the following points:
   Criminal Offenses and Conspiracy
   
   The FIR prima facie reveals a conspiracy between Shri N.P.S. Monga, Shri V.P. Shukla, and other unknown persons to abuse their official positions, causing undue advantage to NFCD and financial loss to the SEEPZ-SEZ Authority.
   
   The acts constitute:
   Criminal Conspiracy (Section 120-B, IPC)
   Criminal Misconduct by Public Servant (Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(d), PC Act)
   
   The investigation, led by Inspector Mohan Kumar of the CBI Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Mumbai, is set to examine the role of other individuals who may have been complicit in the conspiracy. The competent authority has granted permission under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (amended in 2018) to investigate both Shri Monga and Shri Shukla. This provision requires prior sanction for inquiries against public servants in corruption-related matters.