Did it for son’s treatment, says man caught assisting illegal Bangladeshis

Badshah Khan, the 42-year-old coconut seller who was arrested by the Ahmedabad police in January for allegedly helping Bangladeshi nationals obtain official Indian documents, told the police that he did so to pay for his son’s treatment.

During the investigation, the police discovered that Khan’s 19-year-old son, who suffers from thalassemia, an inherited blood disorder, was the reason for Khan’s involvement. Khan assisted illegal Bangladeshi immigrants for a fee of Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000 per person and used the money to pay for his son’s medical treatment. Bollywood actors also assisted with the son’s treatment. After hearing the emotional story, the Ahmedabad police also provided financial help to his wife.

Speaking to mid-day, Badshah Khan’s wife, Aisha Khan, said, “The Ahmedabad police have arrested my husband. I begged them to release him for the sake of our son. We sold everything, including our home, car, and shop, for my son’s treatment. We are raising more money for his treatment, and his surgery in Germany will cost several crore rupees. My husband committed this crime only for our son. I am in Ahmedabad, struggling to get bail for him in this case.”

Badshah Khan has been a coconut vendor at DN Nagar in Andheri West for the past 21 years. His son’s daily treatment expenses amount to Rs 2500. A police officer said, “In order to fund his son’s treatment, Khan sold his home, car, and shop. When he exhausted all options, Khan approached an actor’s trust, which provided financial support for the treatment.”

A few days ago, the Ahmedabad Special Operations Group (SOG) arrested Furkhan Shaikh, who was travelling from Ahmedabad airport to Malaysia. During an immigration checkpoint check, Shaikh was found to have documents claiming he was a Bangladeshi citizen. In the alleged passport, the Ahmedabad police found a residential address in Andheri West, where Badshah Khan resides. The investigation revealed that Badshah Khan had helped Shaikh obtain an Indian passport by creating fake Indian citizen documents and also assisted two other Bangladeshi citizens.

During the investigation, the police also discovered that Khan had forged three birth certificates for the Bangladeshi nationals, which were purportedly issued by Thane Civil Hospital. Using these fake birth certificates, he provided his residential address to create Aadhaar cards and PAN cards for the Bangladeshi nationals, and these documents were later used to obtain Indian passports.

While talking to mid-day, Police Inspector S M Trivedi from the Special Operations Group (SOG) in Ahmedabad said, “Badshah Khan was arrested by the DN Nagar police in January and was released on bail. A few days ago, 27-year-old Furkhan Shaikh was caught at Ahmedabad airport by the immigration officers. It was found that he was a Bangladeshi citizen and used fake documents to obtain an Indian passport. We also recovered documents from his mobile phone.”

“In the investigation, Khan revealed to us that his son is suffering from thalassemia, and that in two days he needs blood. His daily treatment costs Rs 2500. Khan admitted that he helped Bangladeshi citizens to earn money for his son’s medical treatments. Our team also provided financial assistance to Khan’s wife. We arrested Khan for his crimes, and one more accused is still wanted in this case,” PI Trivedi further explained.

In January, Badshah Khan was arrested by the DN Nagar police after 27-year-old Hannan Bishwas was arrested with an Indian passport obtained using fake documents. During the investigation, police found that Badshah Khan had helped him and also provided him with a job and accommodation in India.