In a significant operation against illegal immigration in Maharashtra, Mumbai's MIDC Police have arrested seven Bangladeshi nationals who were allegedly residing in India without valid documents for nearly 15 years. The arrests were made following a targeted operation conducted by the Anti-Terrorism Cell (ATC) unit attached to MIDC Police Station after receiving specific intelligence inputs about the movement of the suspects within the area.
According to police officials, the accused had allegedly entered India illegally from Bangladesh and subsequently settled in Mumbai, where they managed to remain undetected for over a decade while seeking employment and carrying out daily activities.
Tip-off leads to coordinated police operation
The breakthrough came after the MIDC Police's ATC unit received information that a group of suspected illegal immigrants would be arriving in the police station jurisdiction in search of work opportunities.
Acting on the intelligence, police teams laid a trap and conducted a surveillance-based operation, leading to the detention and subsequent arrest of all seven individuals. Among those arrested are four men, two women and one minor. Authorities are currently verifying their identities, backgrounds and activities during their stay in India.
During preliminary questioning, investigators discovered that the arrested individuals were in regular contact with their relatives residing in Bangladesh through phone communication.
Centre reiterates stand on illegal foreign nationals
The operation comes amid the Centre's continued focus on identifying and deporting foreign nationals residing illegally in India. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that India has established legal mechanisms to deal with all foreign nationals found living in the country illegally, including those from Bangladesh.
“All foreign nationals in India, if they are here illegally, including from Bangladesh, we have laws to deal with them and they’ll be accordingly dealt with,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a regular media briefing.
The government has said that suspected Bangladeshi nationals are referred to Bangladeshi authorities for nationality verification before deportation proceedings are initiated. According to the Ministry of
External Affairs, India has sought verification of more than 2,860 suspected Bangladeshi nationals believed to be residing illegally in the country.
“We have…many of these requests, which are still pending with the Bangladeshi side, and we hope and expect that they’ll be expedited as soon as possible so that the deportation of people who are illegally staying in India can be taken forward in a smooth and efficient manner," it added.
