Pune Crime: Two Bangladeshi Sisters Held For Illegal Stay, Total Arrests Reach 76 In 2.5 Years

Ambegaon Police in Pune have arrested two sisters from Bangladesh, aged 30 and 38, for staying in India without legal permission since 2004. Police also arrested the husband of the elder sister, who allegedly helped them get fake Indian documents like Aadhaar cards, PAN cards and Voter IDs from Bihar. 

The accused have been identified as Leeza Maqbool Sheikh alias Taslima, Rinki Devi alias Khatun Tamina Maqbool Moral and Pramod Kumar Chaudhary, a resident of Nalanda, Bihar.

According to the police, the matter came to light after the Pune Police received a tip-off from the Hyderabad Police about a woman from Ambegaon who frequently visited Bangladesh several times. 

During their investigation, the police found that she had an Indian passport issued in July 2022.

Sharad Zine, Senior Police Inspector, Ambegaon Police Station, speaking to The Free Press Journal, said, "When police visited her registered address, she was not there. Later, it was found that Khatun had shifted to Jambhulwadi, Ambegaon, along with her sister and husband Pramod. All three claimed to be Indian citizens and produced their ID documents. However, during the search operation of the flat, police found a Bangladeshi passport belonging to the Khatun. It was confirmed that Leeza and Khatun are real sisters."

"Leeza, Khatun's younger sister, came to India in 2018, while Khatun arrived in 2004. Both were involved in prostitution. The elder sister married Promod, a native of  Bihar, who helped both women get Indian identity documents using fake paperwork. Leeza used her Indian passport to travel to Bangladesh and other countries. Promod runs a paan shop in Somwar Peth. All three have now been arrested and police are interrogating them," Zine added.

Illegal Bangladeshis arrested in the last 2.5 years

| Year | Cases | Arrests | Deportations|

| 2023 | 11 | 55 | 0 |

| 2024 | 6 | 9 | 3 |

| 2025 (so far) | 6 | 12 | 0 |

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