At least 21 suspected illegal immigrants from Bangladesh were detained by the Jammu and Kashmir Police from the Banihal area of Ramban district on Saturday, officials said on Monday.
The group, including three women and seven minor children, was detained during a verification drive after they were found without valid travel or immigration documents, said a top official privy to the development.
“On Saturday, police detained 21 Bangladeshis from Banihal. They were found without valid documents during a verification drive,” said a home department official.
The group, travelling in two vehicles towards Kashmir from Jammu, was intercepted during routine checking for Amarnath Yatra in Ramban’s Banihal on Saturday, the official said.
After questioning, they were taken into custody for further legal and immigration related procedures.
During preliminary questioning, they were unable to establish their identities or provide details as they spoke a language the police could not understand. An interpreter was arranged on Sunday, following which the individuals were questioned in detail. The interpreter revealed that they were Bangladeshi nationals who had allegedly crossed the International Border illegally and entered India without valid passports, visas or other documents authorising their entry or stay.
{{/usCountry}}During preliminary questioning, they were unable to establish their identities or provide details as they spoke a language the police could not understand. An interpreter was arranged on Sunday, following which the individuals were questioned in detail. The interpreter revealed that they were Bangladeshi nationals who had allegedly crossed the International Border illegally and entered India without valid passports, visas or other documents authorising their entry or stay.
{{/usCountry}}An FIR under Sections 3 and 21 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, was registered at the Banihal police station.
The home department official further informed that the detained people will be shifted to Hiranagar sub-jail in Kathua district.
275 Rohingyas lodged in Hiranagar sub-jail
The Hiranagar sub-jail was notified as a holding centre on March 5, 2021, for lodging illegal immigrants as defined under Section 2(b) of the Citizenship Act. Since March 2021, nearly 275 Rohingyas have been lodged in Hiranagar sub-jail in Kathua district. There has been no headway into their deportation to Myanmar.
On March 6, 2021, on the instructions of the Union home ministry, the J&K administration had started a verification drive of Rohingyas and sent 271 to the Hiranagar holding centre.
A crackdown was launched on illegal immigrants in Jammu in 2021 and the Rohingyas were first requisitioned and sent to Hiranagar sub-jail.
In October 2023, J&K Police had booked three people, including a Rohingya woman, in Kishtwar district after she “fraudulently” obtained a domicile certificate in her name. The woman was identified as Anwara Begum of Myanmar. Besides the Rohingya woman, a facilitator and a revenue official, who issued the domicile certificate, were also booked in the case.
On April 6, 2022, the J&K and Ladakh high court had directed home secretary to identify all illegal immigrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh in J&K within six weeks. According to government data, 13,400 illegal immigrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh were living in various parts of J&K.
On March 25, 2017, the then Jammu district commissioner Simrandeep Singh recovered fake state subject certificates, voter ID cards, Aadhaar cards and ration cards from the temporary shelters of Rohingyas in Jammu.