RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh police in Raigarh arrested two Pakistani citizens, Iftekhar Sheikh (29) and Armish Sheikh (25), who allegedly acquired Indian voter IDs by providing false information.
The district police said the siblings were staying in the Kodatarai area of Raigarh district, about 230 km east of Raipur.
“The father of both Yakub Sheikh is Indian and stays in Raigarh. He married a Pakistan woman who died during the Covid-19 pandemic. The birthplace of brother-sister is Pakistan though they were brought up including schooling in India. As they were born in the neighbouring country, they got their nationality from Pakistan. Both are here on valid Long Term Visa (LTV) and presently they can’t be deported. But they furnished wrong information and procured Indian voter ID cards following which the case was registered against both. Further probe is on”, Akash Markam, additional SP (Raigarh) told this newspaper.
The situation came to light when the Raigarh police launched a drive to ensure no Pakistani nationals were staying illegally in the district. They received information about the two suspected foreigners residing in Kodatarai at the house of a local inhabitant, Yakub Sheikh (their father).
“Both Pakistani nationals were traced during the intensive verification campaign underway”, said Jutemill police station incharge Prashant Rao in Raigarh.
The Jutemill police personnel raided the area based on the inputs received and during the interrogation Iftekhar, Armish were found with valid Pakistan passports and LTV.
The late mother of both was native of Landhi town in eastern Karachi. Staying in Raigarh they obtained Indian voter ID cards by furnishing false information on Form no 06 of Election Commission of India to get their names included in the electoral roll. The Raigarh police stated that perhaps both of them wished to stay in India.
The police had registered the case against both under sections 199 (false statement made in declaration which is by law receivable as evidence), 200 (giving declaration as true while knowing it to be false), 419 (cheating by impersonation), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will), 468 (forgery with the aim to cheat) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
After the recent decisions made by the Cabinet Committee on Security in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian government has decided to suspend visa services to Pakistani nationals with immediate effect.
All existing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals stand revoked with effect from 27 April 2025.