Bengal Man Arrested In UP for Helping "Infiltrators" Settle In India

A West Bengal-resident has been arrested here for allegedly receiving Rs 58 crore in the name of NGOs from abroad and using it for helping "infiltrators" and in anti-national activities, the Uttar Pradesh Police said on Monday.

The accused has been identified as Abu Saleh Mandal (50), a resident of Bhikutiya in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, it said in a statement.

He was arrested by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) from near the Alambagh Inter College in Manak Nagar here on Sunday, police said.

The ATS had received information that a syndicate was making "illegal infiltrators" settle in India on the basis of fake Indian documents and promoting anti-national activities by giving them financial support, the statement said. During interrogation, it came to light that Abu Saleh Mandal operated organisations named Haroa-Al Jamia Tul Islamia Darul Uloom Madrasa and Kabir Bagh Millat Academy, and a huge amount of funds, around Rs 58 crore, from abroad -- the Umma Welfare Trust in the UK -- was deposited in the FCRA accounts of these organisations from 2018 to 2022, the statement said.

Abu Saleh Mandal used a part of these funds for illegal infiltration of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis and for providing them financial assistance, it said.

The statement said apart from making fake Indian documents, he was sending money to various states through Hawala and was also active in anti-national activities. It said advance legal action will be taken after presenting the accused before a court. Abu Saleh Mandal, who had studied at the Madrasa Darul Uloom Deoband in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur, had two Aadhar cards with different date of birth, the statement said.

Following his arrest, more than Rs 1.16 lakh and two mobile-phones were seized, it said and added that a reward of Rs 50,000 was declared for information leading to his arrest.

The ATS, after receiving the information, had registered an FIR, and before Abu Saleh Mandal, six people to Bangladesh, Assam and West Bengal had been arrested. 

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