Lucknow, Jul 29 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested the alleged mastermind of an interstate racket involved in preparing forged Indian documents and fraudulently obtaining Aadhaar cards and other identity documents for foreign nationals, officials said on Wednesday.

The accused, Saddam, a resident of Murshidabad district of West Bengal, was arrested from Raghunathganj in Murshidabad on Tuesday, the ATS said in a statement.

He was carrying a reward of Rs 25,000, the ATS added.

The accused was a key member of a gang that allegedly used forged Indian documents, including birth certificates, domicile certificates and school certificates, to fraudulently obtain Aadhaar cards for Bangladeshi, Nepali and other foreign nationals, the officials said.

The racket also misused authorised Aadhaar enrolment operator login IDs and allegedly used virtual private networks (VPNs) and remote access to enrol applicants, they said.

The ATS said it had earlier busted the racket and arrested 17 accused from Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar in connection with the case.

After the arrest, Saddam is being brought to Uttar Pradesh on transit remand. The ATS said it would seek his police custody remand from the court for further interrogation.

The investigation into the case is underway, the statement added. PTI ABN APL APL

Fraudulent Aadhaar enrolment allegations involve forged supporting documents, misuse of operator credentials, remote access, and continuing investigation. Forgery of Indian identity and supporting documents is alleged in an interstate racket using false birth, domicile and school certificates to obtain Aadhaar cards for foreign nationals. The racket allegedly misused authorised Aadhaar enrolment operator login credentials and used virtual private networks and remote access to enrol applicants. The alleged mastermind was arrested, and investigation, including proposed custodial interrogation, remains ongoing.