The Hindu
Police
crackdown on illegally acquired Aadhaar cards and passports
They all fled
strife-torn Rakhine State of Myanmar to save themselves from the alleged ethnic
cleansing and made far away Hyderabad their home to start lives afresh.
For over 4,500
Rohingya Muslims, Hyderabad has turned out to be fairly comfortable and peaceful
city.
Gulf
dreams
Over time, some
began to dream of making it to the Gulf. But their bid to adopt illegal ways to
get the much needed passport has landed over four dozen Rohingya Muslims in
trouble as the Rachakonda police launched a crackdown on illegal passports and Aadhaar
cards obtained by these refugees through illegal means.
Taking advantage of
their desperation, touts in the Old City are making a killing by taking huge
sums and also managing them passports and Aadhaar cards. In the process, lower
rung staffs of some of the Government departments are allegedly turning a blind
eye to the goings on.
On July 9, the
Balapur police of Rachakonda arrested two Rohingyas in separate cases, for
illegally procuring Indian passports and Aadhaar cards.
One of the accused,
Abdul Khair (34), obtained a passport in November last year and fled to Saudi
Arabia on a Umrah visa, which was valid for 30 days.
“As his visa had
expired and he overstayed there for six months, the local police arrested him
and remanded toJeddah prison, after which he came to India,” said Balapur
police.
Khair, with the help
of local touts and tour operators, went to Jeddah for employment.
This year alone, the
Rachakonda police have booked 12 cases and arrested 23 persons, including refugees
and local agents who helped him to secure the documents.
Last year, the
police arrested more than 25 persons in 11 cases for obtaining documents
illegally.
A top police
official said the enquiry of arrested Myanmar nationals revealed that a passport
for these refugees was being arranged in the city by charging as high as ₹ 1.5
to ₹ 2 lakh and added that e-Passport verification has also come in handy for
them.
Modus
operandi
As the first step,
the refugees are procuring a Voter ID, and Aadhaar card as address proof. Then
they apply online for passport based on the available documents.
“By securing an
Aadhaar card they are getting authentic documentation to fly out of the
country,” saidRachakonda Commissioner of Police, Mahesh. M. Bhagwat.
Hyderabad is home to
an estimated 4,500 Rohingyas and the highest numbers of refugees (around 3,700)
have made Balapur of Rachakonda as their home for the past several years.