Kendrapada: In a crackdown on illegal immigrants, Odisha police detained around 18 suspected Bangladeshi settlers residing illegally in different places in coastal Kendrapada district.
As part of the drive to identify foreign nationals infiltrating into the district, at least 18 individuals were found staying illegally in Rajendranarayanpur, Rangani, Kereragada and Gopalpur villages, a senior police official said on Tuesday.
The detained persons failed to produce their identity proof in support of the proof that they are Indians. As they were well-versed in Bengali language, it is being suspected that they are Bangla infiltrators, he said.
These people were caught on basis of sustained ground-level intelligence and they could not produce valid documents to prove their Indian citizenship, said police.
It is suspected that these foreign nationals entered India illegally through unauthorised riverine routes and were residing in coastal pockets of the district without valid documents. All the detainees failed to establish their Indian nationality during interrogation. They have been lodged in a detention centre. Further investigation is underway, said Inspector In-Charge (IIC) of Rajnagar police station Naresh Sahoo.
All illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and other countries will not be spared. Police have formed a team to identify and apprehend foreign nationals staying illegally in the district without valid documents. The move is necessary for national security, Sahoo added.
Earlier on June 9, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had directed the district administration to take strict legal action against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants during a review meeting at Kendrapada.
In March this year, the chief minister had informed the Assembly that a total of 3,738 Bangladeshi infiltrators were identified in the state. The highest number of 1,649 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were residing in Kendrapara followed by 1,112 in Jagatsinghpur, 655 in Malkangiri, 199 in Bhadrak, 106 in Nabarangpur and 17 in Bhubaneswar.
It may be recalled that the state government had in 2005 issued ‘Quit India’ notices to 1,551 suspected Bangladeshi immigrants who illegally entered India and settled in coastal pockets of Kendrapada.
