Jagatsinghpur: Amid stepped up crackdown on suspected Bangladeshi nationals in Odisha, seven more alleged infiltrators were detected by the authorities in Jagatsinghpur district.
With this, the number of suspected Bangladeshi intruders detected so far during the ongoing verification drives has risen to 20 in the coastal district.
Officials said verification of the identity documents of these individuals is still underway, while more Bangladeshi infiltrators are expected to be detected as the drive against illegal settlers has been further intensified.
They further stated that the 13 persons traced earlier have been shifted to a central shelter home in Athagarh Cuttack district for further interrogation and scrutiny.
The seven people
detected now will undergo the routine screening process before any legal action is initiated under immigration rules. The authorities are yet to release names or specific locations linked to the new detections as the verification process is underway.
The drive has been intensified after the arrest of Sikandar Alam, suspected to have facilitated illegal settlement of Bangladeshi infiltrators. It is alleged that he provided illegal shelter to foreign nationals. He was traced to Jajpur after absconding for a week.
Police seized certain documents, including his passport, and are examining whether Sikandar is linked to a wider network that helped undocumented persons settle on encroached land.
He is being interrogated at a secure location, and earlier, his son and a close associate were also picked up for questioning.
Apart from tracing illegal Bangladeshis, the district administration has also demolished makeshift houses and structures built on government land in areas like Berhampur and Dhanipur. Several temporary structures, believed to have been occupied by suspected Bangladeshi nationals, were razed over the past week, officials added