KOLAR: Kolar police have detained 12 persons, including five minors, all suspected to be Bangladeshi nationals. The detainees will be produced before the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for further action. The police are verifying multiple details, including the authenticity of Aadhaars reportedly held by some of them.
SP B Nikhil told The New Indian Express that Srinivasapura police received a tip-off from the public about suspicious individuals collecting waste bottles and cotton. Acting on the information, a police team rushed to the spot and found a couple engaged in the activity.
The duo, identified as Mohammed Javeed Islam (22) and his wife Jannathi Athar (19), were taken to the police station. Upon questioning, they revealed they were permanent residents of Bangladesh and were in possession of Bangladeshi National Identity Cards. They also have two children. They disclosed the names and locations of others connected to them.
A police team subsequently traced the remaining members of the group to Nandagudi and brought them to Kolar. Except for the minors, all were found in possession of mobile phones. A technical team is examining the devices.
The police suspect that two of the adults possess Aadhaar cards. The SP said even the two children, born in India through home deliveries without hospital records, are being verified as part of the investigation.
Preliminary investigation reveal that most of the group had been living in India in temporary roadside tents for the past two years, while one man, Badal (38), had been staying for eight years. Those detainees include Badal (38), Mohammed Javeed Islam (22), Mohammed Nazarul (40), Mohammed Faizal (22), Jannathi Athar (19), Morshid Akthar (33), Sameelin (30), and five minors.
The men and women have been housed separately under security, and the police are providing them food. During questioning, it emerged that each adult had paid `20,000 to a Bangladeshi resident, who allegedly dropped them in Howrah, West Bengal, from where they began moving from place to place. “All of them will be produced before the FRRO on Saturday,” the SP added.