Police detain 63 ‘illegal' Bangladeshi immigrants in Surat and Bharuch
Bharuch police have detained 44 alleged illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the past 48 hours from Bharuch and Ankleshwar towns in the district, they said. The arrested people include 18 women and 15 children.
Meanwhile, Surat police on Sunday arrested 19 'illegal' Bangladeshi nationals from Unn.
The Bharuch police had formed seven teams and carried out search operations in Bharuch town, Ankleshwar town, and Ankleshwar GIDC in the district, during which officers detained 44 'illegal' immigrants who were brought to Bharuch police headquarters for interrogation. The police also recovered Bangladeshi and Indian documents from their possession.
Bharuch Special Operation Group Police Inspector Anand Chaudhary said, 'Earlier we arrested 59 Bangladeshi immigrants in April and May, and now we have arrested 44 that takes the count to 103. While some of these immigrants are involved in the fishing business, some work as floor tile fitters. The women work as house helps. These people were staying in rented houses. One of the families held in May used to stay in their own house in Bharuch town. We have recovered Bangladeshi and Indian documents, like voter cards, Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, and bank papers. The children were studying in local schools.' The detainees caught earlier were handed over to Border Security Force officials for the further procedure of deportation.
He further said, 'The detainees had been staying in Bharuch for two to 35 years. A majority of them stayed in Bharuch town. We will hand them over to the BSF.'
The 19 alleged illegal Bangladeshi immigrants held in Surat on Sunday include 12 women and five children. Officials have started the process of verifying their documents. Sources close to Surat's Bhestan police said that in May, Bhestan police had caught 44 'illegal' Bangladeshi immigrants from Bhindi bazaar area. Police sources said that with increased police action in Ahmedabad, six of them had started staying in Surat's Unn.
These detentions follow instructions from Gujarat's home department in the wake of a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam in April this year.
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