The Detective Department of the Kolkata police, which is investigating Bangladeshi model and actress Shanta Paul, 28, who was arrested for allegedly possessing Indian voter ID and Aadhaar cards, has widened its probe after noting inconsistencies in her statements.

The officers are probing how Paul, who was arrested earlier this week, got the ID cards, besides investigating her friend and Bangladeshi national, Suman Chandrashil, whose name had come up during questioning. They are also probing whether she was passing information to some other country in return for money as she appeared to live a lavish lifestyle, travelling to places including Nathu La Pass near the India-China border, Digha, and Gangtok, where she shot reels.

A native of Barisal in Bangladesh, Paul had been living at a rented apartment in Bijoygarh, Jadavpur, since 2023, the police said.

Officers with the Detective Department said it was not clear why a successful Bangladeshi model and actress was using fake documents to stay in India. Paul, who is in police custody till August 8, was found to have two Aadhaar cards. Senior police officials said the first Aadhaar card was registered in her name in 2020 with an address in Burdwan. The other one shows a Kolkata address. She could not give satisfactory answers about how she procured the documents.

According to a senior police officer, “A search is on to locate Suman Chandrashil. It is a matter of concern how Bangladeshi nationals are so easily able to obtain Indian identity documents.”

Police sources said that during the search at Paul’s residence, officers found her friend’s Aadhaar card details and an address in Behala’s Anandagarh, on the outskirts of South Kolkata. According to a senior officer, “Chandrashil is married to a Behala-based woman and it is from that address that the Aadhaar card was obtained.” However, officers said that people in the locality claimed that he had not been seen there for months.

The police also reportedly found several bank documents and Paul stated during her interrogation that she was planning to open a hotel for which she intended to take a bank loan. Investigators are probing who was going to finance the project and if any partnership was involved. They will also examine the documents that Paul had submitted to the bank for the loan.

Paul, who has reportedly won several modelling contests in Bangladesh, said she was working in a Telugu film and is in talks for another movie with a Tollywood star.