The Special Task Force (STF) of the Odisha Crime Branch has arrested a Kashmiri man on charges of forgery and suspected links with anti-national elements.

The accused has been identified as Sayed Ishaan Bukhari, 37, alias Ishaan Bukhari aka Dr Ishaan Bukhari.

The STF found that Bukhari was in touch with suspicious persons in Kerala and some Pakistani nationals too. The accused is also wanted by Kashmir Police in connection with a case of cheating and forgery there and a non-bailable warrant is pending against him, the STF said.

Bukhari, who hails from Peer Mohalla of Handwara in Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir, was arrested on charges of impersonation, cheating, forgery and links with anti-national elements, the STF said. Bukhari was arrested by the STF from Neulapur in Jajpur district’s Dharmasala on Friday.

In a media release, the STF said: “During raid many incriminating materials, including more than 100 documents, were seized. The accused was found to be impersonating as a neurospecialist doctor, an army doctor, an officer in PMO, a close associate of some high-ranking NIA officials etc.”

The STF has also seized numerous forged documents like medical degree certificates issued by Cornel University of the USA, Canadian Health Services Institute, and Christian Medical College, Vellore. Some blank signed documents, affidavits, bonds, numerous ID cards, ATM cards, blank cheques, Aadhaar cards and visiting cards were also seized.