Lucknow: In a significant crackdown on illegal immigration and identity fraud, Lucknow Police has arrested a Bangladeshi national who had been living in India under a forged identity. The accused was allegedly running a clinic-like shop in the Bakshi Ka Talab (BKT) area and had successfully built a local presence using fake documents.
Police said the accused has been identified as Arup Bakshi, originally a resident of Narail district in Bangladesh. He is accused of illegally staying in India for a long period after obtaining forged Indian identity documents, including an Aadhaar card and passport.
According to the Lucknow Police media cell, the arrest was made from under a flyover near the Vipassana Meditation Centre on Kisan Path. During the search, officials recovered an Aadhaar card, ₹300 in cash, and an Oppo mobile phone from his possession.
Investigations revealed that the accused was operating a clinic-like establishment in the BKT area, where he allegedly posed as a healthcare provider and interacted regularly with local residents. Police said this helped him integrate into the community while concealing his true identity.
A case has been registered at the BKT police station under relevant sections of the Foreigners Act and charges of cheating and forgery. During interrogation, the accused reportedly admitted to using fake documents to obtain Indian identity papers and continue staying in the country illegally.
Authorities confirmed that further investigation is underway to determine the extent of document forgery and whether others were involved in facilitating the identity fraud.
Meanwhile, a public interest litigation (PIL) filed in the Supreme Court has intensified the national debate over the use of Aadhaar cards. The petition seeks directions to the Centre, state governments, and the Election Commission to restrict Aadhaar strictly as an identity proof and not as evidence of citizenship, residence, or date of birth.
Petitioner Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay has argued that weak verification mechanisms are enabling infiltrators and illegal migrants to obtain Aadhaar cards, which are later used to secure voter IDs and other official documents. The plea warns that such misuse could impact welfare distribution systems and compromise the integrity of electoral processes.
The petition further demands that Aadhaar should not be accepted as valid proof for voter registration and that authorities must ensure its use remains limited to identity verification only.
Earlier in March, the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Delhi had launched a special drive against illegally residing Bangladeshi nationals, detaining several suspects over allegations of forged documents and misuse of medical visas. Officials said such verification drives are ongoing and will continue across states to curb illegal documentation networks.
