BENGALURU: An exclusive detention centre, probably the first in India for women from foreign countries, who have allegedly committed crimes and overstayed without legal documents, will be coming up in Tumakuru soon. This will be the third detention centre in the state.
With the state police cracking down on illegal immigrants involved in crimes such as drug peddling and cyber offences, the number of deportations from the state has soared over the last two years, DG & IGP Praveen Sood told TNIE.
In Karnataka, the first detention centre was set up in Sondekoppa village near Nelamangala, about 40 km from Bengaluru, in 2020. A second one came up on the same premises as the density of inmates increased. However, as more women from foreign countries are being detained for overstaying and arrested for various crimes, the state police department had mooted an exclusive detention centre for women.
In August, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra, Minister for Social Welfare Kota Shrinivas Poojari, and senior officials of both the departments including Sood held a meeting to discuss increasing the capacity of detention centres. The exclusive detention centre centre for women will be developed by the social welfare department.
“The number of deportations over the last two to three years is more than that of the numbers in the last 30 years. With the existing detention centre in Nelamangala overflowing, there was a need for another centre. The cases of women from foreign countries overstaying and committing crimes are growing, and so, an exclusive detention centre for women has been planned in Tumakuru,” Sood said.
Most of the women are from the Africa and Bangladesh, he said.“Cases of women from Africa being arrested for drug peddling, cybercrimes, prostitution, illegal staying and overstaying are increasing. Similarly, the number of illegal women immigrants from Bangladesh is also on the rise,” the state
police chief said.