An Indonesian woman who allegedly slipped into India multiple times using forged documents has now landed in custody after being intercepted at the Panitanki border near Siliguri.
The accused, identified as 59-year-old Ni Kadek Sisiani of Tegallalang, Indonesia, was detained on Thursday night by personnel of the Sashastra Seema Bal’s 41st Battalion when they grew suspicious of the Aadhaar card she produced. The card, in the name of Niwoman Muni, was later confirmed to be fake.
She was subsequently handed over to Kharibari police, who booked her under the Foreigners Act. Officials confirmed she was produced before the Siliguri Sub-Divisional Court on Friday and remanded to four days’ police custody.
A search of her belongings revealed an Indonesian passport, an expired Indian visa, a Nepalese tourist visa, the forged Aadhaar card and an Indian PAN card. Investigators suspect she had been staying in India for years on fraudulent papers.
Also read: Bangladeshi national arrested in Kolkata with fake documents
“Sisiani has been living in India for the past ten years, primarily in Bareilly and Mumbai. She paid a broker to obtain fake Indian documents, which she used to travel multiple times to Turkey, Nepal, India and Indonesia,” said a police official.
Police and SSB officials confirmed that she had recently entered Nepal on a tourist visa, which was due to expire on 5 September. She attempted to re-enter India the day before expiry but was intercepted at the border.
Investigators are now probing her long-term stay in India, her repeated travel abroad and whether she is part of a wider network helping foreign nationals secure fake Indian identity documents.
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