Bengaluru police arrest 10 more Pakistani nationals for illegal stay

Total detentions of Pakistani nationals in Bengaluru rise to 17 amid crackdown.

In a major crackdown, Bengaluru police arrested 10 more Pakistani nationals on Tuesday for staying in India illegally using forged documents. This latest round of arrests brings the total number of Pakistani nationals detained in the Jigani area, on the outskirts of Bengaluru, to 17 in recent weeks, news agency PTI reported.

The arrests followed the detention of Parvez, a man accused of aiding and sheltering 22 Pakistani citizens across Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka. (HT File)

The arrests followed the detention of Parvez, a man accused of aiding and sheltering 22 Pakistani citizens across Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka. Parvez allegedly helped these individuals assume Hindu names, allowing them to blend in and evade detection while living in the region.

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The arrested individuals, including six women, were taken into custody under charges of staying in India on counterfeit documents and overstaying their visas. Some of the detainees had adopted Hindu names, while others retained their original Pakistani identities. Police confirmed that this group was found in the Jigani area, an industrial and residential part of the city.

"In a fresh case registered in this regard, 10 Pakistani nationals, including six women were arrested on Tuesday from Jigani jurisdiction (near Bengaluru). They have been arrested on charges of illegally staying in India on fake and forged documents. Some of them were also found to be overstaying illegally," a senior police officer told PTI.

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In a related development, four members of a Pakistani family were arrested earlier in Jigani. Following their questioning, police were led to the arrest of three more Pakistani nationals in the nearby Peenya locality.

The arrests have raised concerns about the increasing use of forged documents and identity manipulation by foreign nationals seeking to stay in India illegally. Authorities have assured that investigations will continue to uncover the full extent of this illegal operation.

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The police have emphasized that these arrests are part of a larger ongoing effort to monitor and regulate illegal immigration, with a particular focus on preventing individuals from bypassing legal channels using fraudulent means.

(With inputs from PTI)