E-Paper
Noida police on lookout for two Nigerian nationals detained for staging a fight
The police are on the lookout for two Nigerian nationals who have been living illegally in India as their visa expired.
The police are on the lookout for two Nigerian nationals who have been living illegally in India as their visa expired.
The men were detained briefly on Saturday for staging a fight in a crowded market at Jagat Farm in Greater Noida. According to a Nigerian Welfare Association, the men are suspected to have started the fight “hoping they would get arrested, which would ensure they got to stay back in the country”.
The two suspects were seen fighting with a big knife and a blunt object, the police said, adding that no one was injured in the incident, but their reportedly staged fight was captured by bystanders on cellphones.
“The police received information that two foreign nationals were fighting in Jagat Farm. The locals informed the police and a team visited the spot and detained them,” Sector Beta 2 station house officer Sujeet Kumar Upadhyaya said.
The suspects were identified by their first names as Ose and Ayuvoi and said they were nationals of Nigeria, the SHO said. “They were not injured in the incident and were unwilling to file a complaint. They were released from police custody after they furnished a personal bond,” he said.
However, during investigation the police found that their visas had expired in 2014.
“The Local Intelligence Unit informed us that the visa of the two men had expired five years ago. We also got video footage of the two men engaged in a fight after they left the police station. When they were under detention, they had revealed that they live on rent in Sector Omega 1. A police team visited their residence and found the address was incorrect, but the men were not found there. We have launched a search to arrest them and take necessary action,” he said.
Charles Kennedy, President of the Nigerian Welfare Association in India said that the two persons had come to India in 2014 on tourist visa. “Their visa expired and they never returned. They know they are illegal citizens and they would be deported. I do not know the exact reason, but it appears they staged this fight to stay back in India, if they are arrested. They are absconding,” he said
In July 2019, Greater Noida police detained 60 foreign nationals for illegally staying in India.
