Operation Clean: Kerala cops arrest 27 Bangladeshi nationals for illegal stay in Kochi

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bangladesh citizen arrested

Kochi: A special squad from the Ernakulam Rural SP, in collaboration with the ATS, arrested 27 Bangladeshi nationals in North Paravur for possessing counterfeit documents. This is the first instance of such a large group of Bangladeshis being apprehended together in the state.  The arrests were made during a special operation, 'Operation Clean,' initiated by Ernakulam Rural District Police Chief Vaibhav Saxena, following the arrest of 28-year-old Thaslima Begum a few weeks ago.

District Police Chief, Ernakulam Rural, Vaibhav Saxena said, "Yesterday night, as part of a special drive in North Paravoor Police Station limits in Ernakulam Rural district, a raid was conducted jointly by police and Anti-Terrorism Squad. As a part of that raid, 54 people were taken into custody from one lodge. They were brought to the police station and interrogated in detail. Finally, we could understand that 27 out of them were Bangladeshis."

He further said that arrested individuals hold Bangladeshi ID cards, birth certificates and passports. He informed that an FIR had been registered against them.

"They had Bangladeshi ID cards and birth certificates. Two of them were also having passports. We are registering FIR under sections 13 and 14 of the Foreigners Registration Act. Further registration will be held fast and we will try to identify who has helped them, through which agency and agent help was given to them - we will identify all of them."

Two weeks ago, Thaslima Begum was arrested from the Bengal Colony in Perumbavoor. Based on the information obtained from her, it was revealed that several Bangladeshis were living in the area. Following this, the police conducted investigations and previously apprehended five individuals. Currently, seven Bangladeshis have been arrested, with detainees coming from areas like Perumbavoor, Idathala, and Kodanadu.

Two Bangladeshi women, Kobitiba (22) and Rubina Sheikh (19), were arrested in Kochi on Thursday for staying in the state illegally. The pair were apprehended in Kodanadu, within the Ernakulam rural police jurisdiction.

According to the police, they had crossed the border from West Bengal, traveled to Bengaluru, and obtained Aadhaar cards through an agent. The two women were presented before the court and remanded to judicial custody.

(With inputs from ANI)