Kanpur , 22 May

A 37-year-old auto-rickshaw driver, suspected to be a Myanmar national, was arrested in the Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh for allegedly entering India illegally and residing here for nearly a decade, police said on Thursday.

Accused Mohammad Sahil was apprehended on Wednesday during a routine vehicle check at Bada Chauraha, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Kotwali), Ashutosh Kumar said.

Sahil was stopped by the police for verification of his driving licence and vehicle-related documents. His inability to speak Hindi during questioning aroused suspicion, following which he was taken to the police station for further inquiry, Kumar said.

On being asked to furnish identity and domicile proof, Sahil produced an Aadhaar card issued from Shuklaganj in Unnao, where he claimed to have been residing for the last eight years. However, during intensive interrogation, he broke down and allegedly confessed to having entered India illegally via Bangladesh around 10 years ago, the police said.

Sahil told the police that he first went to a refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, by boat and stayed there for over three years before crossing into India with the help of touts, whom he allegedly paid Rs 1,200. He travelled to Kanpur via Assam, the police said.

Following his arrest, the police raided his rented accommodation in Shuklaganj, where it found his sister, brother-in-law and other family members, also suspected to be Myanmar nationals, missing.

An investigation has been launched to ascertain how the family entered and stayed in India without valid documents, officials said.

A case has been registered against Sahil under sections 318(4) (cheating), 338 (forgery), 336(3) (forgery with forged documents), and 340(2) (dishonest use of a forged document) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with relevant provisions of the Foreigners Act, the police added.