For nearly a decade, residents of Budhwara locality in Bhopal believed ‘Neha’ to be a transgender woman living quietly among them. In reality, she was Abdul Kalam, a Bangladeshi national who had illegally entered India 30 years ago and successfully lived under a false identity.
In a late-night operation, Bhopal Police apprehended Abdul, who had forged multiple Indian identity documents, including an Aadhaar card, voter ID, and passport, under the alias Neha Kinnar. These credentials enabled him to frequently travel between India and Bangladesh without raising suspicion.
Abdul initially lived in Mumbai for around 20 years, after crossing into India at the age of 10. He later relocated to Bhopal, where he assumed a transgender identity, reportedly integrating with the local hijra community to avoid detection.
Senior police officer Shalini Dixit confirmed that the arrest was made following a tip-off from a confidential informant. Investigations revealed that Abdul had used forged documents to cross borders multiple times, raising serious concerns over national security and document verification systems.
The case has now been escalated to central agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau, Anti-Terrorism Squad, and cybercrime units. Abdul’s mobile device is being analysed for communication records, and a gender verification test is being arranged to determine the authenticity of his claimed identity.
Currently, Abdul is in 30-day custody at Talaiya Police Station, under tight security, with access limited to female officers and the station in-charge.