A startling revelation has come to light during the interrogation of Bangladeshi immigrants arrested in South Mumbai. It has been discovered that they cast bogus votes in the state’s Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Out of the six detained individuals, fake Indian citizenship documents were recovered from four of them.
The arrested individuals include Moin Hayat Badshah Sheikh (51), Rubina Abu Hasan Sheikh, Mohammad Bilap Mohammad Sahabuddin Sheikh, Mohammad Masood Matin Rehman Rana, Yunus Aakash Sheikh, and Tahir Gafur Sheikh. These individuals were apprehended from different areas in Mumbai. Moin Hayat Sheikh was arrested by the Cuffe Parade Police, while Rubina Abu Hasan Sheikh (36) was taken into custody by the Mankhurd Police. The remaining four were nabbed by the Oshiwara and Trombay police.
According to police, Moin Hayat Badshah Sheikh infiltrated India in 1999 from Bangladesh. Rubina Abu Hasan Sheikh entered India illegally in 2000. Sheikh, originally from Chittagong in Bangladesh, entered India at the age of 17. Since then, he has managed to obtain key Indian documents like Aadhaar, PAN, voter ID, and a driver’s license.
Sheikh was involved in teaching Urdu and the Quran to children in areas like Mumbra, Kurla, Govandi, and Parel in Mumbai. Later, he moved to Cuffe Parade, where he worked as a Maulana at a prominent hotel, often leading prayers for foreign Muslim visitors.
The investigation revealed that Sheikh had cast votes in both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, despite being a Bangladeshi citizen. Shockingly, Sheikh was in possession of Bangladeshi identification documents, including a national identity card and birth certificate, but did not have an Indian passport.
Police stated that Sheikh’s wife resides in Bangladesh, and his son is studying abroad. He used to send money from Mumbai to his family in Bangladesh using local currency exchanges. In 2021, Sheikh reportedly last visited Bangladesh, traveling via Kolkata and bribing agents to cross the border into Chittagong.
Similarly, Rubina Abu Hasan Sheikh, arrested by the Mankhurd Police, was found to have participated in bogus voting during Mumbai’s Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
This case highlights serious lapses in the monitoring of illegal immigrants and raises concerns about electoral integrity. Further investigations are underway.