Delhi Police have apprehended 36 Bangladeshi nationals, including 19 adults and 17 children, for allegedly residing illegally in the Bharat Nagar area of the national capital. The arrests were made during a coordinated verification drive carried out on June 13, an official said on Monday.
The operation, led by the Foreigners Cell of the Delhi Police, involved intensive door-to-door verification across 25 footpaths and 32 narrow lanes in Bharat Nagar. The drive was launched after reports of illegal settlements in the locality surfaced. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Bhisham Singh confirmed the apprehensions and shared further details. “A total of 13 Bangladeshi national identity cards were recovered along with seven mobile phones containing the banned IMO application, which is frequently used for cross-border communication,” he said in a statement.
According to police, none of the individuals held possessed valid travel documents, visas, or permits, thereby violating provisions under the Foreigners Act, 1946. The DCP said that the Foreigners Cell team interrogated the detainees, and one of the suspects admitted during questioning that he was a Bangladeshi national. He reportedly helped the authorities in identifying other individuals living illegally in the area.
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Further investigation revealed that the group had previously worked at a brick kiln in Mewat, Haryana. However, fearing police action there, they had fled and temporarily taken shelter on various footpaths in Delhi. In order to avoid detection, the group frequently changed locations within the city. “They were actively scouting for rented accommodations at the time of the operation,” said DCP Singh, adding that police were able to trace their origins to different districts in Bangladesh’s Rangpur Division, including Kurigram and Lalmonirhat.
The individuals had entered India without proper documentation and were living in clusters, posing as daily-wage labourers, he said. The group included men and women, and among the 17 children detained, some were as young as two months old. According to the police, the detained individuals were found living in makeshift shelters with no official documentation or legal basis for their stay. They have since been taken into custody for further verification and detailed documentation.
“Deportation proceedings have been initiated in consultation with relevant authorities,” said the DCP. Police added that further investigation is underway to determine how the group entered India, whether they had local facilitators, and if they are part of a broader network of illegal migration.
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