“Delhi Police claimed to have identified 175 persons during a verification drive against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the national capital,” officials said on Sunday (December 22, 2024).
“The 12-hour verification drive began at 6 pm on Saturday (December 21, 2024) in Outer Delhi region,” officials said. “Police have stepped up efforts to identify and detain people living without valid documents.
“As part of the ongoing operation, 175 persons have been identified as suspected illegal Bangladeshi immigrants during a massive verification drive in outer Delhi,” a senior police officer said.
The city police launched a drive to identify illegal Bangladeshi migrants living in Delhi on December 11, a day after the LG Secretariat ordered action against such persons.
“Concerned about the increasing number of irregular migrants, the Outer District Police have launched a series of targeted operations and joint investigations in various areas under their jurisdiction,” the police official said.
He added that special teams including personnel from local police stations, district foreigner cells, and special units have been mobilized to conduct house-to-house checks and gather intelligence about suspected illegal immigrants.
According to the police, a thorough investigation of the documents and detailed interrogation of the identified persons were conducted in the said action.
“Verification efforts have been extended outside the district, teams have been sent to the places of origin of the persons in coordination with the local police to verify their identities,” he added.
Police said the verification drives were part of a wider initiative to identify and repatriate people living in the national capital without valid legal documents. On December 13, Delhi Police said they had arrested two illegal Bangladeshi migrants and identified more than 1,000 others.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Ravi Kumar Singh said that the team had identified more than 1,000 people during their operation and arrested two from Kalindi Kunj and Hazrat Nizamuddin areas. According to the police, these people are living in the capital without any valid documents.
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Both the accused, identified as Abdul Ahad (22) and Mohammad Azizul (32), were arrested by the Hazrat Nizamuddin Police Station team on December 10 and 12 respectively.
During interrogation, Ahad from Sylhet, Bangladesh revealed that he entered Delhi on December 6 with the help of a Bangladeshi agent in search of work. Azizul, who hails from Dhaka, had admitted that he had crossed the Benapole border through West Bengal in 2004 and had been living in India since then.
The police said that both of them have been submitted to the Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for deportation proceedings. Meanwhile, Shahdara police identified 32 people during the operation on 12th November.
Teams from various police stations in 15 districts of the national capital are visiting slums and areas like Kalindi Kunj, Shaheen Bagh, Hazrat Nizamuddin and Jamia Nagar to check voter ID and Aadhaar cards to identify Bangladeshi migrants.
The Delhi LG secretariat has directed the chief secretary and police chief to launch a two-month special drive to identify illegal Bangladeshi migrants living in the city and take strict action.
The official also said that, besides sending the data to the FRRO, the police will personally verify the authenticity of the Aadhaar cards. According to police sources, more than 1,500 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants have been identified during checks conducted in various parts of the national capital.
published – December 22, 2024 at 02:08 PM IST