A 27-year-old man, Arnab Mandal, running a cyber centre in Heelalige, Bengaluru, was arrested for allegedly helping illegal Bangladeshi migrants acquire Aadhaar and PAN cards using fake documents. The accused was reportedly charging between Rs 6,000 and Rs 8,000 for each Aadhaar card.
The arrest followed a raid on Mandal’s shop, Wow Technology UK, after a tip-off to the police. During the investigation, officers discovered 18 fake rental agreements and several Aadhaar and PAN cards at his premises. Many of the landowners listed in the documents denied having entered into agreements with those named as tenants, indicating forgery. The police also seized numerous documents, including 55 Aadhaar cards, 40 bank passbooks, and mobile phones.
Mandal, originally from South 24 Parganas in West Bengal, had been operating the illegal business in Heelalige for at least three years. The police are now investigating to identify the illegal migrants who benefited from these fake documents and to determine if any Pakistani nationals were involved in the scam.
The investigation continues as authorities work to trace those behind the illegal issuance of identity cards.
