Ahmedabad: In a massive statewide operation, Gujarat police detained more than 550 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh for residing in India using forged documents, authorities said Saturday. Deportation proceedings will follow after verification and interrogation are complete, they said.
The coordinated crackdown was carried out by multiple law enforcement units, including the Special Operations Group (SOG), Crime Branch, Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), Prevention of Crime Branch (PCB), and local police teams.
“All detained individuals were in India without valid documentation and had used fake papers to establish residence,” a senior police official said.
In Surat, an overnight combing operation led by SOG, DCB, AHTU, PCB, and local police resulted in the detention of more than 100 Bangladeshi nationals.
“They had entered India illegally and were living in Surat with forged documents. After the investigation, they will be deported to Bangladesh,” said Rajdeep Singh Nakum, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Operations Group.
Simultaneously, a pre-dawn operation in Ahmedabad saw teams from the Crime Branch, SOG, Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Zone 6, and Headquarters detain over 450 individuals suspected of illegal immigration. DCP Crime Branch Ajit Rajian confirmed that more than 400 people were taken into custody during the early morning sweep.
Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch, Ahmedabad, Sharad Singhal said the crackdown was initiated following directives from the Home Minister, Commissioner of Police, and the Director General of Police.
“HM, CP and DGP had directed us that illegal immigrants must be held. The Crime Branch registered two FIRs from April 2024 till now. 127 illegal Bangladeshis were caught and 77 were deported,” Singhal said.
He added that the latest raid in Ahmedabad was based on intelligence inputs indicating a heavy presence of undocumented immigrants in the Chandola area.
“We had inputs that a huge number of Bangladeshis are residing in the Chandola area. Early this morning, the police carried out a combing operation. We have detained 457 people so far. Deportation will be processed after interrogation,” he said.
