The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has received information about 14 voters that hold Indian EPIC cards and Bangladeshi passports at the same time. Acting on inputs and suspicions that the 14 voters may be Bangladeshi nationals, the CEO’s office sought verification from the Foreigners’ Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Kolkata. In a recent response, the FRRO confirmed that all 14 individuals were holders of Bangladeshi passports.
These individuals came to West Bengal with valid visas; however, as per the reports, on the expiry of their visa terms, they did not go to Bangladesh and managed to arrange some of the Indian identity documents, including the EPIC card.
An insider in the CEO’s office confirmed that a recommendation had already been sent to the Election Commission of India (ECI) seeking the deletion of these voters’ names from the final electoral roll scheduled to be published on February 14.
Alongside this, these individuals have been flecked in three districts: North 24 Parganas, Nadia, and East Midnapore. It is imperative to note that North 24 Parganas and Nadia share borders with Bangladesh.
Since last year, the West Bengal Police and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have launched an extensive crackdown on rackets involved in procuring fake passports and other Indian identity documents. Operating from multiple pockets across West Bengal, these networks allegedly catered primarily to illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators. Investigators say the probes have uncovered a distinct and recurring pattern in the way these rackets functioned.
