Delhi Police crackdown on illegal Bangladeshi immigrants: Door-to-door checks, scrutiny of documents | Today News

The Delhi Police said it identified 175 people during their verification drive against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the national capital. Officials said that the 12-hour verification drive began at 6 pm on Saturday in outer Delhi area.

“Police have intensified their efforts to identify and detain individuals residing without valid documentation. As part of the ongoing operations, 175 individuals have been identified as suspected illegal Bangladeshi immigrants during extensive verification drives in outer Delhi,” a police officer was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.

Police sources told PTI over 1,500 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants have been identified during the checks across the entire national capital.

Identification drive

The Delhi Police launched a drive for the identification of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants residing in Delhi on December 11 amid concerns over the growing number of undocumented immigrants. The move came a day after the L-G Secretariat ordered a crackdown on such persons.

The Delhi LG Secretariat directed the chief secretary and police chief to launch a two-month special drive to identify and take strict action against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants residing in the city.

The officer also said that, besides sending data to the FRRO, police would personally verify the genuineness of the Aadhaar cards.

Police said that the verification drives are part of a broader initiative to identify and repatriate individuals living in the national capital without valid legal documents.

A police officer said the Outer District Police launched a series of targeted operations and joint checks in various areas under its jurisdiction.

He said special teams, including personnel from local police stations, district foreigner cells, and specialised units, were deployed to conduct door-to-door checks and gather intelligence on suspected illegal immigrants.

Police said that the operations involved thorough scrutiny of documents and detailed interrogations of the identified individuals.

“Verification efforts extended beyond the district, with teams dispatched to the native places of these individuals in coordination with local police in their respective areas to authenticate their identities,” he added.

Bangladeshi immigrants apprehended

The Delhi Police said they apprehended two illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and identified over 1,000 others on December 13.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Ravi Kumar Singh said that the teams had identified more than 1,000 people during their drive and apprehended two men from Kalindi Kunj and Hazrat Nizamuddin areas.

Both the accused, identified as Abdul Ahad (22) and Mohammad Azizul (32), were apprehended by the Hazrat Nizamuddin Police Station team on December 10 and 12, respectively.

During interrogation, Ahad, hailing from Bangladesh’s Sylhet, revealed that he had entered Delhi on December 6 with the help of a Bangladeshi agent in search of work.

Azizul, a resident of Dhaka, had admitted to crossing the Benapole border in 2004 through West Bengal and had been living in India ever since.

Police said they had produced both individuals before the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for deportation proceedings.

Meanwhile, the Shahdara police identified 32 individuals during the operation on December 12.

Teams from different police stations across 15 districts in the national capital are visiting slums and areas like Kalindi Kunj, Shaheen Bagh, Hazrat Nizamuddin, and Jamia Nagar to check voter IDs and Aadhaar cards to identify suspected Bangladeshi immigrants.