📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / India Post, Government of India
Crime
STF arrests main suspect in fake passport racket for 17 Bangladeshis in Bilaspur, MP
✍️ Amar Ujala · Madhya Pradesh
🗓 11 Oct 2026, 05:31 PM
👁 9
Madhya Pradesh's Special Task Force apprehended Gulabrai Gautam, alleged mastermind behind forging passports for 17 Bangladeshi nationals, in Bilaspur.
The Special Task Force (STF) of Madhya Pradesh seized Gulabrai Gautam, also known as Samyak Bodhi Bhante, in Bilaspur on charges of orchestrating a fake passport network for 17 Bangladeshi citizens. The operation was carried out after intelligence inputs linked the suspect to a racket operating out of Dubra in Gwalior district.
Investigators allege that Gautam facilitated the creation of counterfeit passports, enabling the foreign nationals to travel illegally. The STF recovered documents and forensic evidence that point to a systematic scheme rather than isolated incidents.
Police officials confirmed that Gautam will be presented before a magistrate within 24 hours, and the case will be forwarded to the district court for trial under the Indian Passport Act and related fraud provisions. The arrest underscores the state's heightened vigilance against cross‑border identity crimes.
Authorities have urged the public to report any suspicious activities related to passport fraud, emphasizing that such illegal operations threaten national security and the integrity of India's travel documents.
Investigators allege that Gautam facilitated the creation of counterfeit passports, enabling the foreign nationals to travel illegally. The STF recovered documents and forensic evidence that point to a systematic scheme rather than isolated incidents.
Police officials confirmed that Gautam will be presented before a magistrate within 24 hours, and the case will be forwarded to the district court for trial under the Indian Passport Act and related fraud provisions. The arrest underscores the state's heightened vigilance against cross‑border identity crimes.
Authorities have urged the public to report any suspicious activities related to passport fraud, emphasizing that such illegal operations threaten national security and the integrity of India's travel documents.