How Kerala man bought Aadhaar for 3 Pakistanis for just Rs 100 in Bengaluru
- The three Pakistanis who were caught in Bengaluru on Wednesday comprised of two women and one man.
- Their Indian accomplice is a Keralite who bought Aadhar and voter ID cards for Rs 100.
- The three were traced when police was investigating a car theft.
Follow3 Pakistanis were held in Bengaluru on Wednesday night with incomplete documents. But what is interesting is the story behind their presence in the city and how they bought their identity proofs only for Rs 100. Although terror plots can be struck out for the time being, the invigorating story of love and perseverance of the loved-one is all that meets the eye. However, most importantly, the fact that Aadhar cards are so easily available and for so cheap is what bothers authorities.
Scams related to Aadhar card and investigations leading up to major gaps in the privacy and uniqueness of the 12-digit biometric ID have often worried citizens and authorities. The arrest of the three Pakistani nationals is the final nail in the coffin, which proves that the Government's Aadhar scheme is not foolproof.
How the story unfolded?
The two women and a man who were arrested on Wednesday from Kumaraswamy Layout were in love and to let that blossom in the times of crisis, they had fled their country to unite with their loved-ones. And the man playing the guardian angel was a Keralite.
30-year-old Muhammed Shihab from Kerala married 25-year-old Samira Abdul Rehman without the consent of her parents in Qatar. After this, Shihab returned to Bengaluru, vowing to bring back his wife with him, while Samira was sent back to Pakistan forcefully.The remaining two couples, 31-year-old Kashif Shamsuddin and 26-year old Kiran Ghulam Ali were in love too. It is also being said that Kashif is Samira's cousin.
[Read: When Osama Bin Laden nearly got an Aadhaar in India]
The three are alleged to have slipped out of Karachi, boarded a plane to Qatar, reached Muscat and then arrived at Kathmandu. Shihab was waiting for them at Nepal, from where they crossed the border to Patna and then took a train to Bengaluru in September 2016. They stayed in a hotel in Koramangla for some time before leasing out a house for Rs 10,500 per month on October 1, 2016. Shihab was unemployed and Khasif had got a job in a perfume factory.
Shihab reportedly worked in a juice shop in Bengaluru as a cashier before he left for Qatar in 2012. There he worked as an office assistant at a private firm when he met Samira. According to inside sources, "both of them claim that Samira was forcefully taken back to Karachi from Qatar by her family members in August 2016. Shihab decided to return to Bengaluru but kept in touch with her and decided to bring her to India." Samira allegedly took Kashif's help to flee her home in Karachi.
[Read: Four times the Aadhar enrolment backfired]
It is alleged that Shihab had paid Rs 100 for obtaining Aadhar cards and election ID cards for each of his accomplices.
How they were caught?
A case of car theft was registered with the homicide and burglary unit of the CCB. This is when the police was led to Shihab. The owner of the car Hari Prasad, a Tamilian residing in Qatar now, had allegedly kept the car with him because he owned some money to Shihab.
Shihab's origins have been traced to Palakkad where neighbours informed police that they had no idea he was in Bengaluru. They thought that he was still in the Gulf.
