Kendrapara: Police have detained a suspected Bangladeshi infiltrator carrying an unlicensed firearm in a coastal village under Rajnagar police station limits, officials said on Saturday.
The accused, identified as Mrutunjaya Mandal, was allegedly under the influence of alcohol when he was apprehended. Though he claimed to be a native of Sandeshkhali in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas, Mandal had migrated to Gupti village in Kendrapara district to work as an agricultural labourer, police sources said.
“He was nabbed with the firearm. Further investigation is underway as he has failed to produce valid proof of Indian citizenship,” said a police official of Rajnagar police station.
Officials said the possibility of Mandal being a Bangladeshi infiltrator cannot be ruled out, and his nativity is being cross-verified with West Bengal Police. A case has been registered under the Arms Act, and if his Bangladeshi origins are confirmed, he may also face charges under the Foreigners Act.
Kendrapara district, with 1,649 registered illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, accounts for the highest number of infiltrators in Odisha’s coastal belt, police added.
