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Karachi to Bulandshahr: How 45-year stay in India ended in arrest for Pakistani national
Police said Wasid Irshad allegedly used forged Indian IDs while his application for a Long-Term Visa remained pending
The accused, Wasid Irshad, in Bulandshahr police custody. (Express Photo)
In 1981, Wasid Ali and his mother arrived in India from New Karachi. He was around three-four years old then. Over the years, he found work as a driver in Delhi, married and had three children, and settled his family in Bulandshahr’s Kotwali area, said police.
On Friday, the 48-year-old Pakistani national was arrested for allegedly possessing forged documents, including an Aadhaar card and a driving licence, to present himself as an Indian citizen, officers said.
Police said the accused’s real name is Wasid Irshad and his application for a long-term visa (LTV) remains pending. A case has been registered against him on charges including cheating, forgery of valuable security, preparing forged documents, and using forged documents or electronic records as genuine.
“We arrested Wasid Irshad for possessing fake Aadhaar and driving licence documents. It will be part of the investigation to determine how these were procured,” said Dharmendra Singh Rathore, Station House Officer, Kotwali police station.
According to police, the arrest came following a tip-off that a Pakistani national was living in the area without valid documents. Police said they cordoned off the location and took Wasid into custody.
During their investigation, police said they found that Wasid was born to Pakistani nationals Irshad Ahmed and Bilqis. Following the couple’s divorce, Bilqis moved to India in 1981 with her son and three daughters and settled with relatives in UP.
She later married Mohammad Aqeel, a resident of Saitha village, after which she was granted an LTV. Aqeel died two years into the marriage. Bilqis subsequently married Laiq Ahmed and relocated to Meerut, where she lived until her death in 2012.
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Police said Wasid and his sisters had applied for LTVs. While two of his sisters were granted visas, applications of Wasid and another sister were rejected due to criminal cases registered against them in 2008 in Meerut, under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act, for staying illegally in the country.
Wasid then reapplied for the document and his application remains pending, police said.
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