The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted a search at a house in Raghunathpur’s Tultulipara area of West Bengal’s Murshidabad district as part of its investigation into an alleged cross-border network involved in arranging forged Indian identity documents for Bangladeshi infiltrators.
According to sources, investigators suspect that an organised racket had been operating for several years, procuring fake Indian identity documents, including Aadhaar cards, voter identity cards, PAN cards and e-Shram cards, in exchange for large sums of money.
Armed with these forged documents, the infiltrators were allegedly sent to different parts of the country through a network of agents.
The investigation has reportedly revealed that a significant part of the operation was being coordinated from West Bengal. Acting on these leads, ED teams carried out searches at multiple locations across the state on Thursday, including the residence of Mir Rakib Ali in Tultulipara.
Investigators are looking into the activities of Rakib Ali’s son-in-law, Adil Ul Rahman, who is alleged to be a Bangladeshi national.
According to family members, Adil first came to the house about four years ago, introducing himself as a madrasa student. He allegedly claimed to be an orphan and said he had gone to Delhi for studies before Aadhaar and voter identity cards could be issued in his name.
The family said he gradually earned their trust through frequent visits and eventually married Rakib Ali’s daughter. After the marriage, Adil reportedly moved to Uttar Pradesh, where he was later arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police in connection with an investigation.
Officials are now examining whether he had any role in the alleged fake identity document network. Family members said Adil returned to his in-laws’ house in Murshidabad three years later. They claimed he frequently travelled to Kolkata on work. About five days ago, he reportedly fell ill and was admitted to the Domkal Sub-Divisional Super Speciality Hospital.
On Thursday morning, ED officials brought him from the hospital to his in-laws’ residence, where he was questioned in the presence of investigators. The agency also examined several documents at the house as part of its probe.
Officials are attempting to trace the larger network allegedly operating from West Bengal and identify the key masterminds behind the racket. The investigation is continuing, and the ED has not yet issued an official statement on the outcome of the searches.