Barasat, June 7: The Bangladeshi criminal who was arrested from Dum Dum yesterday had been given a residential certificate by a CPM councillor in January this year, CID officials said.

On the basis of that certificate, Hariz Ahmed alias Mohammad Hasan had got a ration card and put his daughter, Zena, in an English medium school at Kaikhali, where he lived.

According to the officials, Hasan had spilled the name of the councillor of the Rajarhat-Gopalpur municipality during interrogation.

“Hasan is a wanted criminal in Bangladesh and was trying to shift base to India. After reaching India, he continued to operate his extortion racket in Bangladesh from phone booths. He purchased a flat in Kaikhali two years ago after staying briefly in Garia and Tollygunge,” said a CID official.

Hasan’s name was on a most-wanted list Bangladesh had handed over to India.

According to officials, Hasan, originally from Mohammadpur in Narayangunj, decided to cross the border after he fell out with Bangla Bhai, the militant who was recently hanged by the caretaker Dhaka government. The two had fought over share of extortion money.

“Though Hasan did not have a valid passport, his wife Dilwara and daughter Zena did. But we are wondering how he could have started a rubber goods factory in his name here and even managed to get a PAN card,” the official said.

The chairman of the Rajarhat-Gopalpur municipality, Tapas Chatterjee, said it was not possible for a councillor to maintain records of all residential or character certificates that he issued.