Police in Karnataka’s Chikkaballapur district have arrested two Pakistani nationals, a mother and her son, after finding they had Indian voter ID cards and ration cards.

Investigators say the pair got these documents by hiding the fact that they were Pakistani citizens.

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The political backdrop

These arrests come at a time when there’s already a political fight brewing over Karnataka’s plan to let officials like tahsildars issue Permanent Residence Certificates (PRCs).

Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje recently wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, flagging concerns over the Congress government’s move to give Tahsildars this power.

The BJP warned that it could open the door for illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Pakistan to get official Indian documents, something they say could threaten national security.

Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge pushed back on this. He told CNN-News18 that PRCs would only be issued after proper document verification, and that the process would actually help the government spot and track illegal immigrants, not enable them.

For context, a PRC is a document Karnataka residents can apply for to prove they live in the state. It makes them eligible for benefits like ration cards, education, jobs, and various government welfare schemes.

PRC and citizenship are not the same thing

According to News 18, Congress has stood by its position that a PRC is simply a residence document, it has nothing to do with citizenship, which only the Union government has the authority to decide.

Meanwhile, Chikkaballapur police made the two arrests based on credible information that Farah Naz and her son, Mohammed Fardeen, both Pakistani nationals, had obtained an Indian ration card and voter ID.

How the family’s nationality mix came to light

The inquiry found that Mohammed Ayub Khan, originally from Bagepalli and working in the UAE, married Farah Naz, a Pakistani national, while he was in the UAE. The couple has four children. One of them, Mohammed Fardeen, was born in Pakistan.

This means Farah Naz and Mohammed Fardeen are Pakistani nationals, while Mohammed Ayub Khan and their other children are Indian nationals. The family currently lives in Bagepalli.

After Chikkaballapura Police sought clarification, the Deputy Commissioner checked the records and cancelled the ration card, finding it had allegedly been obtained by hiding facts about nationality. The voter ID was cancelled too, by the relevant authority.

How were the documents obtained without citizenship?

A criminal case has been registered against Farah Naz and Mohammed Fardeen based on a complaint by Manisha N. Patri, Tahsildar of Bagepalli Taluk. They’re booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Foreigners Act, and the Representation of the People Act. Both have been arrested, and the investigation is still going on.

According to the FIR, the complainant said Farhanaz, wife of Mohammad Ayub Khan, and her elder son, Mohammad Fardeen, both Pakistani nationals living in Dasayyagaripally village in Kasaba Hobli of Bagepalli Taluk, had allegedly gotten voter ID cards and ration cards without ever acquiring Indian citizenship.

The FIR adds that after the Superintendent of Police, Chikkaballapur district, asked for the records to be checked, verification confirmed that Farhanaz and Fardeen had allegedly secured these documents without Indian citizenship.

Since holding such documents without citizenship is illegal under the rules, the Tahsildar filed a complaint seeking action against both of them.

Police have registered the FIR under the relevant sections of the BNS, the Foreigners Act, and the Representation of the People Act.

The investigation is now focused on finding out exactly how these official documents were issued, and whether any officials or middlemen helped make it happen.

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FAQs

Q1: Who was arrested?

Farah Naz and her son Mohammed Fardeen, both Pakistani nationals, in Chikkaballapur, Karnataka.

Q2: What did they allegedly do?

Obtained an Indian voter ID and ration card by hiding their Pakistani nationality.