Mumbai: The Anti-Bangladeshi Special Team of Mumbai Police's Zone 7 has detained 12 Bangladeshi nationals from Versova and Juhu Galli for illegally residing in India. According to the police, the detained individuals include 4 men, 4 women, and 4 children. Upon verification of their documents, it was revealed that they had entered India illegally and were residing using forged identity documents.
Following this discovery, a case was registered against 9 individuals, and 8 of them were arrested. They were produced before the Vikhroli Court on Wednesday, which remanded them to police custody until January 31.
Government Crackdown on Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrants
Due to the increasing number of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in Maharashtra, the state government has directed law enforcement agencies to identify and take action against them. As a result, a special drive is underway across Maharashtra, particularly in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, and Palghar districts.
In Mumbai’s eastern suburbs, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Vijaykant Sagar of Zone 7 has formed a special task force to tackle the issue. The task force, led by Police Inspector Ravi Thengale, consists of 3 officers and 7 personnel. Acting on intelligence received from informants, the team conducted raids in Versova and Juhu Galli, resulting in the detention of 12 Bangladeshi nationals, including 4 children.
Use of Fake Documents & Voting Rights Misuse: During the raid, police seized voter ID cards, Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, and ration cards from the accused. Investigations confirmed that these identity documents were forged. As a result, 8 individuals were formally arrested, and legal proceedings have been initiated against them.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Rohima Shahabuddin Khan (49), Shakeel Qadir Sheikh (30), Ruksana Shakeel Sheikh (35), Wahidul Faizal Khan (41), Jasmine Wahidul Khan (38), Simran Wahidul Khan (20), Hasan Abdul Rashid Khan (65), and Abdul Aziz Abdul Rashid Sheikh (55).
According to police, these Bangladeshi nationals had been illegally residing in Mumbai's Juhu Galli and Versova areas for the past 25 to 30 years. Some of the women among them were working in spas and family salons. Further investigations revealed that these Bangladeshi nationals had cast votes in Indian elections using forged voter ID cards. Authorities suspect that they may have also availed benefits of Indian government schemes. The police are now probing further into the misuse of these identity documents.
Additionally, six of the detainees were found to possess Bangladeshi visas, indicating that they had fraudulently obtained Indian citizenship documents to travel to Bangladesh and back multiple times. On Wednesday, the eight arrested individuals were presented before the Vikhroli Court, which remanded them to police custody until January 31.
The Anti-Bangladeshi Special Team has arrested 30 Bangladeshi nationals in Mumbai over the past two weeks. The operation against illegal immigrants is ongoing, and further arrests are expected.