DEHRADUN: Six Bangladeshi nationals, including four men and two women, have been apprehended from locations across Uttarakhand, including the capital Dehradun and the holy city of Haridwar. An Indian woman accused of facilitating their illegal presence in the state has also been taken into custody.
The arrests followed confidential intelligence received by the police. Speaking with TNIE, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajay Singh confirmed the operation.
"We received confidential information regarding the presence of some suspicious individuals residing in Clement Town," SSP Singh stated.
Acting on the tip, teams from the Special Operations Group, Local Intelligence Unit, and Clement Town police were dispatched for verification. This led to the apprehension of five Bangladeshi nationals – Nirmal Rai, Shem Rai, Lipi Rai, Krishna alias Santosh, and Munir Chandra Rai – from Lane Number 11, Post Office Road. An Indian woman, Pooja Rani alias Rosna, was found living with them.
The individuals were unable to produce valid documents. Police searches recovered two illegal Aadhaar cards from Munir Chandra Rai and Bangladeshi identity cards from Krishna and Nirmal Rai. Four children found with this group have been taken into protection.
The Bangladeshi nationals were arrested for illegally residing in India. Pooja Rani was arrested and booked for assisting them.
Separately, City Kotwali police and local intelligence units arrested a Bangladeshi woman and her Indian husband from a hut in the Roodki Belawala area on Friday night. They were reportedly living illegally using fake documents. The woman's minor son was also taken into protection.
Police are actively searching for two individuals, identified as Mohammad Alam alias Alauddin and Noor Islam, who are believed to have helped the Bangladeshi nationals enter India.
A joint team comprising personnel from the police, Military Intelligence, and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) is currently interrogating the arrested individuals. Initial findings indicate that the accused had settled in the area over time, with some having worked as labourers for a significant period.