Jashore Correspondent
Investigative findings have revealed sensational information regarding a multifaceted scam allegedly run by Tutul Mukherjee, a resident of Singhasholpur village in Narail Sadar upazila, who has been using dual citizenship in Bangladesh and India to engage in fraud, hundi trading, and human trafficking.

According to investigative sources, Tutul—the son of the late Debdas Mukherjee—lives in Bangladesh under his local identity but adopts the name Kutil Mukherjee or Sri Kutil Mukherjee when traveling to India. He is accused of weaving a web of deceit by utilizing fraudulent government documents across both countries under different names.

Reports indicate that Tutul acquired Indian citizenship using an address in South Habra, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, securing an Indian passport, Aadhaar card, and ration card under that alias. His Indian passport and citizenship documents list his date of birth as December 9, 1975, while his Bangladeshi National Identity card records his date of birth as February 10, 1979. Records also show that on July 20, 2012, he purchased 8 decimals of land for approximately INR 5,27,695 via deed number 4707, with discrepancies between the names and titles used in his passport and land registration deeds pointing toward deliberate forgery.

In Bangladesh, he operates under the name Tutul Mukherjee, using the names of his father Debdas Mukherjee and mother Mira Rani Mukherjee to claim national identity benefits and run a local business in Singhasholpur Bazar. Locals allege he regularly travels to India to reap dual benefits. Furthermore, he is accused of running illegal hundi transactions and trapping vulnerable people by luring them with false promises of employment in India before trafficking them, leaving many victims financially and socially ruined.

Legal experts note that holding and utilizing citizenship in two countries through deception constitutes a severe crime under the laws of both nations. Under Bangladeshi law, such offenses fall under Penal Code Section 420 for fraud, the Passport Act, the Money Laundering Prevention Act, and the Human Trafficking Prevention Act of 2012. Similarly, under Indian law, the acts violate Indian Penal Code Section 420, the Citizenship Act of 1955, and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, with proven charges carrying long-term prison sentences and heavy fines.

Experts emphasize that joint investigations by the law enforcement agencies of Bangladesh and India are necessary to curb such cross-border deception, warning that allowing an individual to exploit dual identities for years poses a significant threat to national security and requires swift administrative intervention to dismantle the criminal network.

When contacted over the phone regarding the allegations, Tutul Mukherjee admitted to acquiring citizenship in India under a pseudonym, stating, "Check whether my name and address in Bangladesh are correct or not."