Over 100 suspected illegal immigrants detained

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru city police have detained over 100 people suspected of being illegal immigrants, officials said on Monday. Some of those detained are suspected to be Bangladeshi nationals, though their documents are being verified to establish their nationality, they said.

The city police launched a special drive, dubbed ‘Operation Mukta’, on August 8 to identify suspected illegal immigrants residing in various parts of the city. Speaking to reporters here, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said 105 people had so far been detained as part of the operation.

“Some more searches are still underway, and we are continuing to verify the documents. We will have more clarity once that process is completed,” he said. According to him, checks have been carried out over the past several days within the Bengaluru City Police limits to identify illegal foreign nationals, irrespective of their nationality, who do not have proper documentation.

Several teams have been formed across the Whitefield, Southeast and Electronic City divisions to carry out the checks, he said. “Around 48 teams were formed under the Joint Commissioner of Police, East, and the CCB team under the Additional Commissioner of Police, CCB. These teams conducted searches across the three divisions,” he said.

Singh said 105 people were detained after their documents were checked during the searches.”We have verified around 2,900 people so far, and some documents have also been taken for further verification. Our operations in this regard will continue,” he said.

The Commissioner said there had been allegations that the police had not properly followed the SOP. “If we find that the SOP has not been followed properly, we will certainly take action against our personnel. As of now, the entire operation has been videographed, and the checks are being conducted in accordance with the SOP,” he said.

Singh said some activists were taking the law into their own hands by visiting places and creating disturbances. “We will take action regarding this as well. If anyone has any information, they should inform the police. We assure you that the police are fully capable of taking the necessary action,” he said.