KOLKATA: A former Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader was arrested in Kolkata for allegedly living in the city using forged identity documents for the past two years.Following a tip-off, a team from Park Street police station raided a hotel in Marquis Street on Friday night and nabbed the man who identified himself as Rabi Sharma, officials said.In a bid to prove his identity, the man produced a photocopy of what he claimed was his Aadhaar card and a passport. “Even after that, we felt something was amiss and questioned him further,” a senior police official said. After interrogation, he revealed that his original name was Salim Matabbar and that he was from Madarihat in Bangladesh, the official said.Salim claimed that he was a local BNP leader and fled from Bangladesh two years ago following a political dispute with the then ruling party Awami League and arrived in Kolkata, according to police.After fabricating a fake identity and procuring false documents for the same, he managed to get a passport. After arriving in Kolkata, he had been working at a hotel on Marquis Street, officials said. Police are investigating to find out how Salim entered India and the people who helped him get the forged documents.The development comes at a time when ties between India and Bangladesh has been rocky over targeted attacks against Hindus and temples since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government.The arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das on charges of treason has triggering protests by the minority community across Bangladesh. Kolkata has also seen protests outside the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission.
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