A Palestine national has been arrested on charges of illegally staying in the country and obtaining a voter identity card.
Acting on information by the Foreigners’ Regional Registration Office (FRRO) that a Palestine citizen named Baseel Y. S. Nasrallah had obtained an Indian voter identity card, the South Delhi police mounted a raid on his rented accommodation in Kishangarh village in South Delhi. He allegedly claimed that he and his wife were Indian citizens. According to the police, he produced a voter identity card issued in the name of Y. S. Baradeiya.
Breaks down
During interrogation, he allegedly broke down and disclosed that he was a Palestine citizen. He came to India in 1996 on a student visa using a passport issued from Jordan. He got enrolled in Deshbandhu College and studied there till 1999. He was deported to his country but returned after a month by getting a fresh visa and started living with his brother in Vasant Kunj. He was again deported by the FRRO after about eight months. This time, he went to Jordan and obtained a visa for Nepal from where he entered India.
Hamas documents
In 2001, he went to Lucknow and started living with his friends, Sameer and Adnan. As some documents related to the Palestine group, Hamas, were purportedly seized from him, he and his friends were arrested by the Special Task Force of the Uttar Pradesh Police.
According to the police, Nasrallah remained in jail for 15 months. The case is still pending in a Lucknow court.
After being released on bail, he came to Delhi and started living in Munirka. He married a woman from Manipur in 2005 and shifted to Kishangarh village.
During interrogation, he purportedly disclosed that he obtained the voter identity card through Sameer. He had also applied for refugee status at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the application was under consideration till November 22, the police said.
