KOCHI: Kochi City Police on Thursday evening arrested 10 Bangladeshi nationals from Palarivattom for allegedly residing illegally in the state without valid travel or identity documents.
The accused were identified as MD Lalon Hossain (37), MD Riad Al (22), MD Sumon Mondal (24), MD Fedos Mondol (37), Johny Ahmed (28), Rajibn Hussain (26), MD Abdur Zabbasm (50) and MD Mithan Ali (34), all natives of Kushtia district in Bangladesh, besides MD Rahin Ali (20) and MD Bulbul Ahamed (26), natives of Rajshahi district.
They have been booked under relevant provisions of the Foreigners Act, 1946 and Sections 3(2)(a) and 3(3) of The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920.
According to sources, soft copies of Bangladeshi identity documents were recovered from the mobile phones seized from the accused. Investigators are analysing their call records, digital data and travel history as part of the ongoing probe.
The arrests were made during an inspection conducted at a house near Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Link Road based on intelligence inputs. Police said the group had been staying in Kerala for nearly a year.
Seven Bangladeshi nationals were arrested in Kochi for allegedly residing in the country without valid travel documents, police said.
The arrests were made during an inspection at a house near Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Link Road following specific intelligence inputs. According to police, the group had been living in Kerala for nearly a year.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused were engaged in the scrap trade in Kochi. Officials said no forged Indian identity documents were recovered from them, unlike in several similar cases reported in the past.
Police suspect the group entered India illegally through areas along the India-Bangladesh border before travelling to Kolkata, where they allegedly worked in the scrap business for some time. They are believed to have later reached Kerala by train. Most of the accused are said to be friends and residents of the same locality in Bangladesh.
Investigators are conducting detailed verification to establish the authenticity of their statements and trace their movements within the country. Police are also examining whether other undocumented foreign nationals may have entered the state through similar routes.
