27 Bangladeshi nationals arrested for illegal stay in Ernakulam

With Thursday’s arrests, the number of Bangladeshis detained in the Ernakulam rural district police limits this month has risen to 34, police said

At least 27 Bangladeshi nationals who were allegedly illegally staying and working in Ernakulam district of Kerala have been arrested, police officials said on Friday, adding that detailed questioning of all those arrested is underway.

The Bangladeshi nationals were working at various locations in the guise of migrant workers from West Bengal, and a detailed questioning of the arrested is underway. (Representational image)

Acting on specific information about Bangladeshi nationals residing in North Paravur, the Ernakulam rural police and the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) in a joint operation conducted a search on Thursday night, an official said.

“As part of the operation, we took 54 people into custody from a house that was being used as a lodge in the North Paravur area based on a tip. At the end of detailed questioning, we were able to conclude that 27 of them are actually Bangladeshi nationals illegally staying in the country,” Ernakulam Rural superintendent of police Vaibhav Saxena said.

“Two of them had Bangladeshi passports and others had birth certificates stating that they were born there. Further verification of the documents is going on,” he said.

The Bangladeshi nationals were working at various locations in the guise of migrant workers from West Bengal, and a detailed questioning of the arrested is underway, Saxena said.

The action is part of the ongoing “Operation Clean” launched by Saxena after the arrest of 28-year-old Thaslima Begum two weeks ago.

According to the police, they crossed the border from West Bengal, where they obtained Aadhaar cards and other documents through agents before arriving in Kochi. They were employed in various sectors, with some staying in labour camps. Their activities are under further investigation, PTI quoted police officials as saying.

More details could not be disclosed at this stage, the officials said, noting that this might be the largest arrest of Bangladeshi nationals in the country within a month. With Thursday’s arrests, the number of Bangladeshis detained in the Ernakulam rural district police limits this month has risen to 34, they added.

Following the arrests, police have decided to expand their investigation to West Bengal to track down agents involved in illegal border crossings and the issuance of fake IDs and Aadhaar cards.

Kerala is home to over 3.5 million migrant workers, who form at least a quarter of the state’s workforce.

With PTI inputs