BHOPAL: Eastern Maharashtra’s third largest city — the communally and politically sensitive Akola – has emerged as the fourth major link of the recently busted inter-state fake passport racket allegedly run by an Afghan man from Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh.Sohbat Khan, the alleged mastermind of the racket, is revealing key details during questioning by the Madhya Pradesh Police’s anti-terrorism squad (ATS).As per sources privy to the probe, Sohbat’s questioning has revealed that a place of worship in Akola district of Maharashtra was a common meeting place of Afghans living in India.It was in Akola, where Sohbat possibly came in contact with Akbar and Iqbal, two other Afghans, who have been illegally living in West Bengal and have managed to get fake Indian passports with the help of the alleged racket operated by Sohbat and local contacts in MP’s Jabalpur district.“When the first three arrests were made in the case, there were just three cities/states on our radar, including Jabalpur (MP), West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. But Sohbat’s grilling and the disclosure of Akola in Maharashtra playing an important part in his linkages with Afghan men living illegally in India, has made eastern Maharashtra’s communally sensitive city too a part of our investigations,” a senior cop associated with the probe told TNIE on Monday.Sources added that before coming to Jabalpur in around 2010, Sohbat had lived in parts of Maharashtra also, including Nagpur and Akola.So far six arrests have been made in the case by the MP ATS. While four of the arrests, including Sohbat Khan, his two key aides Dinesh Garg (a forest guard working at the district collectorate’s election cell), Chandan Thakur (who claims to be an advocate) and Mahendra Kumar Sukhdan have been arrested from Jabalpur, two others Akbar and Iqbal (both Afghans living illegally in India) have been arrested by the ATS from West Bengal, including Howrah.
Source link
