In a severe wake-up call for internal security agencies, a joint team of Chhattisgarh’s Special Task Force (STF) and the District Special Branch arrested a 42-year-old Bangladeshi national in Bilaspur. Identified as Atiq Hussain, a native of Narayanganj district in Bangladesh, the accused had been residing illegally in India since 2005—living undetected for over two decades while penetrating strategic domestic infrastructure.
Hussain was apprehended during an early-morning raid on September 24 at a rented residence in Surya Vihar Colony, under the Sarkanda police station area. He has since been shifted to a holding center in Raipur as deportation procedures begin. However, the sheer duration of his stay and the level of access he achieved expose dangerous vulnerabilities in local identity verification mechanisms.
Infiltrating Critical Infrastructure
After illegally crossing into India in 2005, Hussain initially spent two years in Tamil Nadu before relocating to Bilaspur in 2007. Once in Chhattisgarh, he secured employment with a private firm handling lift maintenance operations at NTPC Sipat—one of the region’s largest thermal power plants.
For nearly 19 years, an undocumented foreign national worked continuously inside a sensitive state power infrastructure facility without triggering basic background checks or industrial security alarms. Investigators are now scrutinizing his employment records, daily movements, and workplace interactions to determine whether his foreign identity was knowingly concealed by associates or employers.
The Forgery Syndicate
The search of Hussain’s residence yielded an astonishing array of forged identity papers establishing him as a full Indian citizen. Recovered documents include:
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An Indian passport obtained in 2018.
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A voter identity card, PAN card, and driving licence.
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Fake residence and caste certificates procured via contacts in Lingiyadih gram panchayat.
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A fabricated Class IX marksheet from a local school in the Mangla area.
During interrogation, Hussain admitted that these primary documents were obtained through fraudulent channels and local fixers. Authorities are investigating whether he utilized the local voter ID to participate in Indian elections, while simultaneously tracking down the syndicate members who facilitated the paper trail.
The STF crackdown and potential espionage
Hussain’s arrest was the culmination of an intensive manhunt. Twenty days prior, he had been flagged during an STF verification drive in the Sirgitti industrial zone, but managed to slip away during initial questioning. STF Inspector Sanjay Shinde tracked his trail to Sarkanda, leading to the targeted dawn raid.
Security agencies are currently probing two critical dimensions:
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The Espionage Angle: Given his 19-year presence inside a critical power grid installation, investigators are verifying whether Hussain was involved in intelligence gathering or maintaining illegal communications with handlers in Bangladesh.
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Organized Infiltration Links: Police are examining potential connections between Hussain and 23 other suspected foreign nationals detained during the initial Sirgitti sweep, pointing toward an organized network arranging fake Indian documentation for illegal immigrants.
The Bilaspur bust demonstrates the lethal risk posed by unchecked paper forgery and lax background verification around strategic assets. As police intensify state-wide drives and issue public helplines, the case underlines the urgent necessity to systematically audit local panchayat records, clear out fake document mills, and enforce strict surveillance across industrial hubs nationwide.
Also Read: Bangladeshi National Held At Naval Academy With Fake Identity