Sri Lankan who ran fake ID racket held, family caught trying to flee India

A 40-year-old illegal immigrant from Sri Lanka who allegedly ran a fake government identity proof racket for eight years has finally been caught in India.

CCB sleuths of India recovered a country-made pistol from the man accused of being involved in making fake Aadhaar cards, driving licences, debit/credit cards and bank account papers.

Hours after his arrest, his wife and her three daughters were caught attempting to flee the country using Indian passports, when she mistakenly provided her Sri Lankan identity proof during frisking by immigration officials at the airport.

A senior police officer identified the racketeer as Sharan Kumar Kalidas alias Umesh Bala Ravindran alias Choti Bin Bala, a resident of an apartment in Rachenahalli, north Bengaluru, India.

Acting on tipoff on May 20 about his alleged illegal activities, CCB inspector Kavitha GM and her team camped near his apartment complex and stopped him as arrived in his car.

On questioning, Kalidas initially claimed he was from Mayiladuthurai in Tamil Nadu but did give satisfactory answers when asked about his profession. He told police that he came to Bengaluru in 2016 and lived in an apartment on Kanakapura Road. In 2018, he shifted to Vijayanagar, and in 2019, he stayed in an apartment on Thanisandra Main Road.

He said he brought his wife and three children in 2021 and stayed in the Rachenahalli apartment. Upon checking his car, the police found some gadgets. Confronted with them, he confessed that he was a Sri Lankan national and came to Chennai illegally.

He admitted being involved in a racket in making fake debit and credit cards, and other documents. Caught by Chennai police, he was deported to Sri Lanka but managed to return to India illegally and settled in Bengaluru in 2016.

Kalidas confessed that he made fake documents to earn quick money and lead a lavish life.

He also had several fake documents that gave him multiple identities. When police checked on his car, they were shocked to find a loaded country-made pistol. They also found three mobiles, including an iPhone, a MacBook, a defunct card reader, a weighing machine, four driving licence cards printed on one side, a debit card, five empty debit cards including chips, and two micro-SIM adaptors.

A senior police officer said Kalidas was taken into custody and further investigation was handed over to Sampigehalli police who registered a case under Foreigners Act, Arms Act, and IPC section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property).

Source: Times of India
--Agencies