36 illegal Bangladeshi nationals held in Delhi’s Bharat Nagar

New Delhi, Jun 16 (PTI) Delhi Police has apprehended 36 Bangladeshi nationals, who were allegedly residing illegally in the national capital, in Bharat Nagar area, an official on Monday said.

The accused, including 19 adults and 17 children, were detained on June 13 after police carried out an intensive door-to-door verification across 25 footpaths and 32 lanes in the area, he said.

“13 Bangladeshi national identity cards and seven mobile phones loaded with the banned IMO app, often used for cross-border communication, were recovered from their possession,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Northwest, Bhisham Singh, in his official statement.

The suspects were found to be living without valid travel documents, visas or permits in violation of the Foreigners Act, 1946, police said.

The DCP said the Foreigners Cell team interrogated the apprehended individuals and one of the initial suspects during questioning reportedly admitted to being a Bangladeshi national.

The suspect also helped in identifying others, who were staying illegally in the locality, he added.

The apprehended group, according to investigators, had previously worked at a brick kiln in Mewat, Haryana.

The DCP said that the group fled from Mewat fearing police action there and temporarily settled on various footpaths in Delhi, frequently changing locations in an attempt to avoid detection.

“They were in the process of looking for rented accommodations when our team acted,” said the senior police officer, adding that the police have identified the foreign nationals as the residents of various districts of Bangladesh's Rangpur division such as Kurigram and Lalmonirhat.

The DCP said that most of the families had entered India illegally and settled in clusters, posing as labourers.

Among those arrested are men, women and children, with some as young as two months old, he added.

The DCP said the apprehended individuals, who have been taken into custody for detailed documentation, were living in makeshift shelters with no legal backing or documentation.

“Deportation proceedings are being initiated in consultation with relevant authorities,” he added.

Further investigation is on to ascertain their means of entry, possible facilitators and whether the group was part of a larger network, police said. PTI SSJ AS AS