Bhubaneswar: Immigration officials at Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar arrested a 54-year-old Afghan national on Saturday after he arrived here from Dubai on an IndiGo flight.
Mohammad Yousaf, who had been living in Cuttack under the false identity of Yaha Khan, was held due to discrepancies in his documents during routine checks. A lookout circular (LOC) issued by Kolkata airport aided in his identification.
DSP (immigration) Samapika Patnaik has lodged a police complaint against Yousaf.
Police investigations revealed that Yousaf illegally entered India in 2018 and used forged documents, including an Indian passport, Aadhaar card, PAN card, voter ID, and driving license, to establish a fake identity and conduct business. “The accused had fraudulently procured Indian identity documents including Aadhaar, PAN, Voter ID, Driving License and Passport using forged details, and had been residing in Cuttack, Odisha while concealing his true identity. He also misused the forged passport for travelling beyond the state,” the police release said.
Fake documents, Indian and foreign currency, a mobile phone, gold jewellery, and approximately Rs 80,000 in cash, along with bank documents in his false name, have been seized. “The investigation also led to the seizure of various Indian and foreign currencies, forged identity cards (Aadhaar No. 2347 1649 4378, Voter ID No. YNY1493030, PAN No. BERPK1646E, DL No. OR0519910002562), RC of M/C OD 05 AU 3286, one Vivo Y100A mobile phone, two gold earrings, and Rs 30,000 in cash from his possession. Further, a house search led to the seizure of bank documents in the name of Yaha Khan and Rs 50,000 in cash, for which he could not provide satisfactory explanation,” it further stated.
The accused has been remanded to judicial custody while further investigation is underway to ascertain the motive behind using fake documents to reside in Odisha and uncover the full extent of his activities, it added.
