TIRUPPUR: Illegal immigrants from Bangladesh who arrive in Tiruppur, the knitwear capital of India, in search of a livelihood use apps to communicate with each other and their contacts in the city which makes it difficult for police to track or trace them.
This came to light when police arrested K Nodi Nasema Khanom, (36), of Satkhira district in Bangladesh, from Periyandipalayam recently based on information given by a illegal immigrants arrested in Nallur earlier
Police said Nasema entered the country via Kolkata 20 years ago after paying an agent Rs 1,000. She settled in Tiruppur 13 years ago and worked in several knitwear companies and became a contractor two years ago. She has helped scores of Bangladeshis find jobs here. “Nasema Khanom has been in contact with brokers and prepared fake documents like Aadhaar to those coming from Bangladesh. We arrested her based on the inputs from the Special Investigation Cell of TN police,” an officer said. Police suspect there could be many more people like her operating in the city.
Speaking to TNIE, Commissioner of Police, Tiruppur city S Rajendran said, “We have arrested 85 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh since January 2025. They came here looking for jobs. We face several difficulties in arresting them. First, we have to prove in court that they are Bangladeshi by submitting relevant documents. We have to seize their Bangladesh ID proofs, but they hide it in some town and will not reveal it during arrest. We must complete this within 24 hours. Otherwise, they will have to be set free. We cannot keep them in custody for more than a specified period. We have not had such a situation so far.”
“Local police, Special Investigation Wings of TN police, and Intelligence Bureau (IB) are working together on the Bangladeshi issue,” the officer added.
Further, he said “If we arrest one member of a group, the others go into hiding. For communication, they use some specific apps. “
S Kanagasabapathy, Public Prosecutor of Principal District Judge court of Tiruppur, said, “Police must submit relevant documents to confirm nationality of illegal immigrants. After that, they will be imprisoned in Puzhal prison under judicial custody. The trial will be held and the court will give the sentence. As there is an agreement between Bangladesh and India, convicts are handed over to their government and they will undergo punishment in their country.”