Kolkata: A team of 31 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, recently arrested in Bengaluru during a police crackdown, was brought to Malda district in West Bengal, the police said on Wednesday.
The group has been lodged temporarily at a holding centre in Malda, a district bordering Bangladesh. The legal process for their return to Bangladesh has been initiated, following which they are expected to be handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) for the pushback process.
According to sources, the Karnataka Police arrested the 31 Bangladeshi nationals, who allegedly did not possess valid documents to establish their legal status in India. Police sources said they had entered India illegally through the international border with Bangladesh in West Bengal before travelling to Bengaluru in search of employment.
The Bangladeshi nationals were reportedly arrested around three months ago and were subsequently kept at a detention facility in Bengaluru. A team of the Karnataka Police brought them to Malda after completing the necessary procedures for their transfer to the border district.
An officer of the Malda district police said the Karnataka Police team arrived at Malda Town station late on Tuesday night along with the 31 detainees. They were subsequently handed over to the West Bengal Police, who took them by bus to a holding centre in the district.
The 31 Bangladeshis were transported from Bengaluru to Malda by train under special surveillance. A team of 20 Karnataka Police personnel accompanied them during the journey.
The arrests followed a special drive conducted by the Karnataka Police to identify suspected illegal immigrants. The operation, named ‘Operation Mukt’, was carried out on August 9. During the drive, documents of 2,944 people were verified. The police identified 105 Bangladeshi nationals as suspected illegal immigrants, of whom 31 were arrested in Bengaluru.
Officials said the process for sending the 31 illegal immigrants back to Bangladesh had already begun. Once the required formalities are completed, the group will be handed over to the BSF, which guards India’s international border with Bangladesh, for further action.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has repeatedly called for stringent measures against illegal infiltration and stressed the need to identify and deport those who have entered India without valid documents.
After the Bharatiya Janata Party captured power in West Bengal in May this year, the state authorities stepped up surveillance and action against suspected illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Holding centres have also been established in several border areas to accommodate detainees temporarily.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has also maintained a ‘zero tolerance’ position on infiltration, with authorities continuing efforts to identify and take action against suspected infiltrators.
