Pune/Mumbai: Two more alleged Bangladeshi nationals have been arrested by the Pune unit of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on suspicion of having links with outlawed Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), an Al Qaeda-inspired Islamic extremist organisation.
Meanwhile, another man was held in a separate operation for allegedly helping the five illegal immigrants, who were arrested in Raigad earlier this month.
Mohammad Aahat Ali (30) and Mohammad Hassan Ali (24) were detained on Sunday. While one was residing illegally in Ambarnath, Thane, the other was believed to be staying in Mahad in Raigad district for the past several years.
Both were said to be working as construction labourers. They were believed to be in touch with the three Bangladeshi nationals picked up on Saturday.
“The duo had stayed in Pune for a while, and during this time had provided logistical support to the three Bangladeshi nationals arrested last week. They have been staying in India without valid travel documents, and were in possession of fraudulently-obtained PAN and Aadhaar cards,” an ATS officer said.
Aahat and Hassan were produced in the Pune Sessions court on Monday, where Judge R.N. Sardesai remanded them in police custody till March 29.
Both are being questioned for their role in preparing the forged documents, including bogus Aadhaar and PAN cards, which were seized from the three arrested.
On Saturday, the police apprehended Mohammad Habibur Rahman Habib, Mohammad Ripan Hossain, and Hanan Anwar Hussain Khan, who had been residing in the city’s Akurdi and Wanowrie areas with forged identity papers.
Habib and Hossain hail from Shatkira tehsil in Khulna, while Khan came from Bangladesh’s Shariatpur district. Habib, who worked as a supervisor at a construction site, lived in Wanowrie, while the other two worked as labourers in Akurdi.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai unit of the ATS on Sunday night arrested a 36-year-old man in Ulhasnagar for allegedly helping the five illegal immigrants, who were arrested in Raigad on March 13. The accused is alleged to have helped them procure PAN and Aadhaar cards without valid documents, and is believed to be part of a larger syndicate, sources said.
