Kochi: Police have arrested a Bangladeshi couple who were residing in Kerala for years using fake documents, reported PTI. The apprehended, Dasharath Banerjee (38) and his wife Mari Bibi (33), were living in Edavanakad while posing as Indian citizens.

The arrest was made during a search operation carried out by Njarakkal police under ‘Operation Clean,’ an initiative led by Ernakulam Rural District Police Chief Vaibhav Saxena, police said. Investigations uncovered that the couple had illegally entered India and obtained fraudulent Aadhaar cards, election ID cards, and birth certificates from West Bengal.

After securing these forged documents, they relocated to Kerala, where they managed to acquire additional fake identity proofs, such as Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, ration cards, and gas connections, police added. Using these credentials, the couple purchased and registered land in Edavanakad, where they had been living in a tin-sheet house.

During the raid, authorities also seized a Kerala driving license and a copy of a vehicle’s RC book. With this arrest, the total number of Bangladeshi nationals caught within the Ernakulam rural police limits this year has risen to 37, police said. Recently, authorities apprehended 27 Bangladeshi nationals who had been illegally residing and working in the area.