Mumbai: In a major crackdown on a suspected hawala racket and fake passport network, the Special Branch–1’s Anti-Terrorist Branch conducted multiple raids in Pathanwadi area of Kurar and arrested an accused
identified as Mohammed Islam Ismail Khan, alias Salim Rehmatullah Shaikh.
Investigations have revealed that a suspect named Buttan Shaikh, who allegedly arranged a fake passport for the accused under the alias “Salim Rehmatullah Shaikh,” is now on the radar of the Crime Branch.
According to police sources, the accused was born on January 14, 1976, in Andhra Pradesh. He completed his schooling up to Class 12 in Mumbai and later moved to Kuwait in 1998, where he worked as a driver. His father worked as a handcart labourer in Mumbai.
The accused reportedly secured employment in Kuwait through family connections, as his maternal aunt and her children were already settled there. During his 22-year stay in Kuwait, he claimed that an Arab national gifted him a laundry business, after which he expanded it to three laundries. He also renewed his passport in Kuwait in 2004.
Police said that due to domestic disputes, the accused returned to Mumbai and later faced legal issues, including a domestic violence case registered at Kurar Police Station.
Fearing technical hurdles while travelling back to Kuwait, the accused allegedly travelled to Andhra Pradesh in 2007 and obtained a fake passport under a different identity “Salim Rehmatullah Shaikh” through Buttan Shaikh for ₹3,000. The passport number is G2566630, and authorities are currently verifying his travel history.
Further investigation revealed that the accused had purchased a shop in Pathanwadi, Malad East, where he started an agency named “I and S Travels,” which facilitated immigration processes for Kuwait.
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The agency was reportedly operated in partnership by his son from his first marriage, Abu Bakar, and his associate Irfan. Police suspect that the accused, in collusion with Buttan Shaikh, would direct individuals seeking to travel to Kuwait to this agency for immigration stamping, even on fake passports.
The Crime Branch is now probing the role of individuals associated with “I and S Travels” to determine how many fake passports were processed and the extent of illegal immigration facilitation.
Police sources added that the investigation will also explore possible links to a hawala network and terror funding, given the nature of the racket.
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