Varanasi Police to send teams to WB, Assam for verification of 500 suspected illegal immigrants

Varanasi (UP), Dec 10 (PTI) Amid a statewide intensive verification drive to trace illegal immigrants, the Varanasi Police have identified nearly 500 suspected Bangladeshi nationals and will send teams to West Bengal and Assam to verify their identity documents, officials said on Wednesday.

Commissioner of Police Mohit Agarwal said a verification campaign is underway in urban slums and rural areas to identify Bangladeshi and Rohingya intruders.

"Around 500 suspicious individuals have been identified so far, and their Aadhaar cards, voter IDs and other documents have been collected for scrutiny," he said.

He said several individuals have claimed to be natives of West Bengal or Assam but failed to produce valid or clear documents. "Such persons are under watch and have been given one week to furnish authentic proof of their date of birth, citizenship and native residence," he said.

The police commissioner said to cross-check their claims, special police teams will soon travel to West Bengal and Assam. Strict legal action will be taken if any document is found to be fake or if a person fails to prove Indian citizenship.

He said intelligence agencies have been asked to determine whether any local individuals or organisations helped shelter or resettle the suspects.

Agarwal said the campaign will continue and stressed that illegal infiltrators will not be allowed to take refuge in Varanasi.

The exercise is part of a state-level drive ordered by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to identify foreign nationals, particularly Rohingyas and Bangladeshis, living illegally in Uttar Pradesh, he added. PTI COR CDN AKY