The Delhi Police have apprehended two illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and identified over 1,000 others during an ongoing crackdown, officials said on Thursday.
This action follows Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena’s directive on Tuesday to the Chief Secretary and Police Commissioner to take strict measures against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants residing in the national capital.
Addressing a press conference at Police Headquarters, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East) Ravi Kumar Singh said: “In a major drive launched by the South East District to identify illegal immigrants, two individuals—Abdul Ahad from Sylhet and Mohammad Azizul from Dhaka—have been apprehended.”
Both individuals have been presented to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for deportation proceedings, Singh added.
The DCP further disclosed that, during the year, a total of 916 individuals have been checked, of whom eight illegal immigrants, including six Bangladeshis, have been detained. Efforts are ongoing to identify more unauthorized residents in the city.
During interrogation, Abdul Ahad revealed that he had been working as a laborer in Bangladesh before entering India on December 6 with the assistance of a Bangladeshi agent. He was residing in Delhi in search of employment when apprehended.
Meanwhile, Azizul confessed to entering India in 2004 through the Petrapole border in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district and has been residing in the country since.
Singh also highlighted that during the drive, it was observed that many landlords were unaware of the mandatory provisions of the Foreigners Act, 1946.
To address this, police made landlords aware of their legal obligations before renting property to foreign nationals to avoid legal repercussions.
Earlier on Thursday, police conducted a thorough search operation in the E-44 Jhuggis of New Seemapuri, Shahdara, East Delhi.
During the operation, documents of 32 individuals were collected for verification. Residents were cautioned against using fake identity cards and reassured that the drive focuses solely on identifying unauthorized intruders.