Sessions court grants bail to Bangladeshi National in fake passport case

MUMBAI: A Mumbai sessions court on Saturday granted bail to a Bangladeshi national arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for allegedly procuring Indian passports using fake documents and for voting in the recently held Lok Sabha elections.
Sultan Siddiki Shaikh, a 54-year-old rickshaw driver residing in Malad, with his associates, Riyaz Hussain Shaikh, 33, Ibrahim Shafiulla Shaikh, 44, and Farookh Usmangani Shaikh, 39, all originally from Noakhal, Bangladesh.
Sultan allegedly cast his vote in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections using fraudulent citizenship documents. Additionally, it was revealed that they secured passports from Surat, Gujarat, raising further concerns about the legitimacy of their credentials. Authorities are currently investigating the matter to ascertain the full extent of the fraudulent activities.
On June 11, 2024, acting on a tip-off, the Juhu unit of the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) conducted a search operation resulting in the arrest of Riyaz, Sultan, Ibrahim, and Farookh. Subsequently, a case was registered against them under Sections 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 465 (Forgery), 468 (Forgery for the purpose of cheating), and 471 (Using a forged document as genuine) of the Indian Penal Code.
Advocate PS Dubey, representing Sultan asserted that he is innocent and has been falsely implicated in the case. He further contended that the allegations are unfounded and that the case is based solely on documentary evidence, none of which directly incriminates Shaikh. The defence counsel maintains that no substantive evidence has been discovered against Shaikh and has called for a thorough review of the case.
Additional public prosecutor (APP), R A Mahakal, argued against granting bail to Sultan emphasising that Shaikh is not an Indian citizen and highlighted that Shaikh faces a similar case, which is currently pending before a magistrate court. He alleged that Shaikh had produced over 15 counterfeit passports and other forged documents to falsely establish his nationality and residency in India. The APP contended that if granted bail, Shaikh might abscond, evade trial, and potentially commit similar offences in the future.
Additional sessions judge S M Patil on Saturday granted bail to Shaikh stating, “Considering the nature of the offence as well as the proposed punishment for the same, if applicant/accused is released on bail with stringent conditions, the purpose would be served and the possibility of absconding and tampering with the witnesses may be curtailed.” However, he added, “More than 15 passports are obtained by the present accused by showing the same address at Anand Nagar Zopadpatti, Surat, stringent conditions are required to be imposed.”