New Delhi, Oct 18 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested an Indian man living in West Bengal for allegedly helping a Pakistani operative in getting passports for illegal Bangladeshi nationals in as many as 250 cases.

Indubhushan Haldar alias Dullal was taken into custody on October 13 by the federal probe agency in Kolkata.

Haldar is a resident of Chakdah village in Nadia district, located along the India-Bangladesh international border, the agency said.

The main accused in this case is a Pakistani man named Azad Hussain alias Ajad Mallik or Ahammed Hossain Azad. He was arrested by the ED in April and he is currently lodged in jail under judicial custody.

Azad Hussain was living in India under the assumed identity of Azad Mallik and was allegedly found to be involved in fraudulently obtaining Indian identity documents for illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, who come to India, in lieu of money, the ED said in a statement issued on Saturday.

Hussain, according to the ED, referred Bangladeshi clients, who wanted to obtain Indian passport, to Haldar.

"Haldar played a pivotal role in facilitating the issuance of Indian passports for Bangladeshi nationals. By making forged documents for passport applications, Haldar generated proceeds of crime...," the ED said.

He (Haldar) is alleged to have done such illegal documentation in about 250 cases, it said.

The agency said a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Kolkata and the Calcutta High Court had rejected his anticipatory bail application.

Azad Hussain was listed in a charge sheet by the ED in June. PTI NES ZMN

Illegal passport facilitation: man arrested for allegedly producing forged documents enabling 250 Bangladeshi nationals to get Indian passports. Allegations describe a cross border scheme in which a Pakistani operative referred Bangladeshi clients to an Indian intermediary who prepared forged identity documents and facilitated Indian passport applications in about 250 cases, generating proceeds of crime. The enforcement agency has invoked the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, listed the foreign operative in a chargesheet, arrested the intermediary, and reported rejection of an anticipatory bail application.