Two who helped open bank accounts in Navi Mum for illegal immigrants held | Mumbai news

NAVI MUMBAI: Two Navi Mumbai residents were detained separately on Sunday and Tuesday for allegedly helping 20 illegal Bangladeshi migrants open local bank accounts. The role of the duo was established after the Meghalaya police interrogated 20 Bangladeshi nationals who had fled from Navi Mumbai in the last few months and took shelter in the north-eastern state.

The accused were identified as Jabir Yunus Shaikh, and Nusrat Arshad Qazi. They were nabbed through a joint operation of the Navi Mumbai police and handed over to the Meghalaya police, who came to the city with non-bailable warrants against the duo.

“The Bangladeshi immigrants began fleeing from Navi Mumbai after local police intensified their operation and launched a major crackdown in January. They took refuge in Meghalaya, where they were arrested and interrogated by the local police. During questioning, the police learnt the involvement of Shaikh and Qazi in helping them open bank accounts in Navi Mumbai,” said an officer. It was found that several financial transactions had been done from these bank accounts over the past few months, the officer added.

Acting on this input, a joint team from the crime branch Unit 1, Vashi, and the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), carried out a technical and confidential operation three days prior their arrest to locate the duo. Shaikh was traced to Sector 19, Ulwe, and was detained on Tuesday. Qazi was arrested earlier on Sunday from her residence in Sector 12B, Koparkhairane.

“Following arrests, they were handed over to the Meghalaya police. A transit remand was already in place and both the accused were taken to Meghalaya for further investigation,” informed the officer.

The operation was executed under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ajaykumar Landge and ACP Dharmapal Bansode, with senior police inspectors Niraj Chaudhary and Prithviraj Ghorpade, assistant inspector Alka Patil, sub-inspector Prashant Kumbhar, and their respective teams leading the on-ground efforts.