The Kerala Police have arrested 27 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants from North Paravur near Ernakulam on Thursday night.
The illegal immigrants were arrested in a special drive, ‘Operation Clean’, launched by Ernakulam Rural District Police chief Vaibhav Saxena with the assistance of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
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In all, 54 persons were taken into custody and were interrogated in detail. Of them, 27 have reportedly confessed to their Bangladeshi nationality. With this, the number of illegal immigrants arrested in January in the state rose to 34.
The police have registered a case against the Bangladesh nationals under the Foreigners Act and Passport ( Entry to India) Act.
According to the police, the arrested persons illegally crossed the India- Bangladesh border and reached West Bengal in January 2024. Later, they arranged fake Indian identity cards with the help of agents in West Bengal and moved to Kerala.
“The arrested Bangladeshi nationals worked as daily wage workers. They were mostly hired by contractors. We are interrogating them and they will be produced before the court later,” a police officer said.
Earlier on Thursday, two women Bangladeshi nationals were arrested from Kochi for illegally staying in the state.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the state police chief have, earlier this month, directed the police to crack down on illegal migrants on account of the internal security threat they posed. Perumbavur and North Paravur area in Ernakulam district are known for the large presence of migrant workers.
