A Pakistani family, who had been living in India illegally under false identities for the past decade, was arrested by police on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The family had been using fake Indian documents to settle in the country.
The arrested individuals were identified as Rashid Ali Siddiqui (48), his wife Ayesha (38), and her parents Hanif Mohammed (73) and Rubina (61). For the last six years, they had been residing in Jigani, near Bengaluru, under fake Hindu aliases: Shankar Sharma, Asha Rani, Ram Babu Sharma, and Rani Sharma.
Police seized Indian passports and Aadhaar cards with these fake names after a raid based on intelligence inputs. The family was reportedly preparing to leave when the police arrested them.
According to preliminary investigations, Rashid Ali Siddiqui’s wife Ayesha lived in Bangladesh before their marriage. The couple tied the knot in Dhaka in 2011. After entering India illegally in 2014, they first settled in Delhi before moving to Bengaluru. Prior to this, the family had been living in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Police are currently questioning the family about their activities during their stay in India. So far, it has been revealed that they were supplying materials to a garage in Bengaluru, though authorities are still investigating their broader network.
A senior police officer stated, “They have been using fraudulent documents, and we are interrogating them to uncover further details. Based on the interrogation, more action will be taken.”
When questioned, Rashid Ali Siddiqui admitted to being from Karachi, while his wife is from Lahore. The couple’s true identities were revealed after police found materials at their rented accommodation in Jigani. Both were living under false Hindu names for years, using fake passports and Aadhaar cards.
Authorities continue to investigate how they managed to create fake documents and maintain their false identities for so long.
