RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh police in Raigarh arrested two Pakistani citizens who allegedly through fraudulent means acquired the Indian voters Identity cards providing wrong information.
The Pakistani nationals, Iftekhar Sheikh (29) and Armish Sheikh (25 years) were staying at the Kodatarai area of Raigarh district, about 230 km east of Raipur, the district police said.
“The Raigarh police launched a drive to ensure no Pakistani nationals were found staying illegally in the district, and got the information about the two suspected foreigners residing in Kodatarai at the house of a local inhabitant, Yakub Sheikh," said Jutemill police station in-charge Prashant Rao in Raigarh.
"Both Pakistani nationals were traced during the intensive verification campaign," he added.
The Jutemill police personnel raided the area based on the inputs received, and both the 'foreigners' claimed they had a Pakistan passport and a valid Long Term Visa (LTV) during the interrogation.
Both of them are natives of Landhi town in eastern Karachi. They managed to obtain Indian voter ID cards deceitfully by furnishing false information on Form No. 06 of the Election Commission of India to get their names included in the electoral roll.
The Raigarh police also informed that they had other documents, like the bank passbook.
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).
Further investigation is underway, the police said.
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.