Seven Bangladeshi nationals held in Thane district over illegal stay in India

Thane, Sept 12 (PTI) Seven Bangladeshi nationals, including six women, have been arrested in Maharashtra’s Thane district for allegedly illegally residing in India, officials said on Friday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone III) Atul Zende said the Kalyan police made the arrests on September 9.

Around 6 pm that day, a patrolling team spotted six women loitering near the Kalyan railway station, he said.

“They were carrying Bangladeshi birth certificates and identity cards. Also, the women could not produce any valid Indian documents to justify their stay in the country,” DCP Zende told reporters.

The next day, police spotted a man showing similar suspicious behaviour. “He was identified as a Bangladeshi national without valid travel or immigration documents,” the official said.

“During interrogation, they confessed to having entered India illegally by crossing the border and later boarding a train to Mumbai,” Zende added.

A case has been registered against the group under the Indian Passport Act and other laws.

Police are trying to ascertain if the group is linked to any human trafficking network, the official said. PTI COR NR