Lucknow, May 21 : A Bangladeshi national who had allegedly been living illegally in Lucknow for nearly 14 years was arrested by police from the Bakshi Ka Talab (BKT) area. The accused has been identified as Arup Bakshi, a native of Devbhog in Bangladeshâ??s Narail district.

According to the BKT police, the accused had been residing in India after illegally entering the country in 2012 through Nepal and the Lakhimpur Kheri route. Police said that he managed to stay in the country by obtaining forged Indian identity documents.

Sub-Inspector Yogendra Kumar of BKT Police Station lodged an FIR against the accused following a confidential complaint and subsequent investigation. Acting on the findings, police arrested Arup Bakshi and recovered an Aadhaar card, a mobile phone, and several other documents from his possession.

During the investigation, police found that after entering India illegally, Arup initially stayed with Dr Swapna Biswas, a resident of Udrauli village under the Maholi police station limits in Sitapur district. During his stay there, he allegedly procured several forged documents, including a voter ID card, driving licence, Aadhaar card, and opened a bank account. Later, he reportedly obtained an Indian passport as well.

Police further stated that between 2014 and 2015, the accused started living as a tenant at the residence of advocate Mrityunjay Singh Chauhan in Maa Durgapuram Colony near Asti Crossing in the BKT area.

In 2019, Arup allegedly purchased an 800-square-foot plot in Mamapur Bana village using forged documents. Investigators also revealed that he had been operating a clinic without possessing a valid medical degree and was allegedly collecting money from people under the pretext of providing treatment.

During interrogation, the accused reportedly confessed that he had obtained all the forged documents while residing in Sitapur. Police are now preparing a list of his associates and close contacts in Sitapur and are also investigating the people he was in contact with in Lucknow.

/IANS