A shocking tale of how an illegal immigrant managed to evade authorities and continued to live in India for 10 long years has surfaced from Maharashtra’s Pune. A Rohingya Muslim not only eluded arrest and deportation but also managed to acquire an Aadhar Card, buy land, and even obtain an Indian passport— getting all the necessary documents that an Indian citizen usually has.
This man, a native of Myanmar, secretly crossed the border into India via Bangladesh and gradually blended in with the local population. He tried his hand at various businesses, purchased land, and even built a house. His secret might have remained undiscovered, but one of his associates eventually exposed him.
The incident came to light in July this year when four Rohingyas, including two men and their wives, were arrested in the Dehu Road Cantonment area of Pune, Maharashtra. During the investigation, it was discovered that one of them, 43-year-old Muzammil Mohammad Amin Khan, had been living in India for more than a decade.
Amin Khan not only settled in Pune but also managed to acquire Indian passports and identification documents for both himself and his wife. Further interrogation revealed a startling backstory. According to police reports, Amin Khan had undergone religious training as a Maulana through an Islamic organization in Myanmar, where he lived with his wife and two daughters.
In December 2012, Amin Khan moved to Bangladesh with his family. While residing in a refugee camp, he struggled to find work. Eventually, he learned about job opportunities in West Bengal. During this period, he separated from his first wife and married another Rohingya woman named Shafika, with whom he later had a son.
Securing an Aadhaar Card for ₹500
In 2013, with the help of agents, Amin Khan illegally crossed the international border and entered West Bengal with his second wife and son. He initially travelled to Kolkata but was unable to secure any suitable work. Eventually, he moved to Pune by train, where he found a job at a private company in Talegaon MIDC. The company even provided him with a room to stay.
To increase his income, Amin Khan started buying children’s clothes from Bhiwandi in the Thane district and selling them on Dehu Road. Realizing the need for identification documents in India, he managed to obtain an Aadhaar number from a shop in Bhiwandi for just ₹500 without providing any supporting documents. Police suspect that local agents in Bhiwandi submitted fake documents at an Aadhaar enrollment centre on his behalf.
Land deal worth ₹80,000 without registration
After acquiring his Aadhaar card, Amin Khan also arranged for his wife’s Aadhaar to be made. Around this time, he met a man named Kamalbhai at a mosque in Pune, who introduced him to the betel nut business. Amin Khan began selling betel nuts in local markets and, as his business stabilized, he started looking for his own house.
During this time, Amin Khan met a woman named Chandrabhaga Kamble on Dehu Road. Amin Khan purchased approximately 600 square feet of land next to Kamble’s house in Gandhi Nagar, Dehu Road, by paying her ₹80,000 in cash. No official documents were prepared for this transaction. Amin Khan took possession of the land and, within a short time, built his own house there.
How Amin Khan was exposed
For nearly a decade, Amin Khan lived undetected with his family, pretending to be an Indian citizen. During this period, his wife gave birth to a daughter, and he even managed to obtain an Indian passport. Amin Khan continued his betel nut business without raising any suspicion.
However, his cover was blown in July 2024. The Pune unit of Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested a 35-year-old Rohingya named Shahid, also known as Sohidul Sheikh, from Dehu Road. Shahid has been living in India with his wife since 2015. During interrogation, he revealed that “Mujammil Mamu,” who also lived on Dehu Road, was originally from Myanmar.
Following this lead, the police raided Amin Khan’s house and arrested him. On July 27, a case was registered against Amin Khan and his wife under the Foreigners Act and Passport Act. According to the FIR, the police seized mobile phones, SIM cards, Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, Bangladeshi currency notes, and passports from their possession.
The family members of Chandrabhaga Kamble, who sold the land to Amin Khan, claimed they were unaware of his foreign origins. The police revealed that Kamble had passed away a few years ago, and the land remained in her name in government records. However, Amin Khan had managed to get the electricity connection for the house registered in his name.
