Crackdown on illegal immigration: 362 Bangladeshis detained in Gujarat, 166 in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Police have detained 362 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and launched verification of more than 782 suspected foreign nationals as part of Operation Delta Hunt, an exercise aimed at identifying people residing illegally in the state. According to figures released by the state govt, the detainees include 103 men, 188 women and 71 children. Ahmedabad city accounted for the highest number with 166 detainees, followed by Surat city with 84. Saurashtra and Kutch accounted for 51 detainees. Other detentions were reported from Ahmedabad rural, Bharuch, and several other districts

Joint commissioner of police (Ahmedabad crime branch) Sharad Singhal told the media, “Quite a few among the 166 had obtained Aadhaar cards illegally. We are investigating through whom these documents were made.”

The operation was carried out by 30 teams from the crime branch, cybercrime branch, Special Operations Group, and local police stations across Ahmedabad. The areas covered included Naroda, Danilimda, Vatva, Vatva GIDC, Juhapura, Chandola and adjoining localities.

Singhal said intelligence inputs gathered through human and technical sources suggested that some of those detained may have been linked to earlier enforcement action around Chandola lake. He said several people had left the area after a drive conducted there last year and later settled in different parts of Ahmedabad.

City police commissioner G S Malik visited the crime branch headquarters and interacted with detainees during the verification process. According to officers, police are examining how the individuals entered India, the nature of the work they were engaged in, and the channels used to send money abroad. Preliminary inquiries indicated that earnings were allegedly routed to Bangladesh through intermediaries in Kolkata and, in some cases, through mobile applications.

Addressing the media on Wednesday, deputy chief minister Harsh Sanghavi said, “Every infiltrator will be traced from every corner of Gujarat, brought within the ambit of law and sent back to Bangladesh.” “Field units are identifying not only these individuals but also local agents and facilitators who provided sim cards, shelter, employment and forged documents such as Aadhaar cards and voter identity cards,” Sanghavi said.

He added, “Those who provided assistance to infiltrators will face legal action.”

Investigators have identified cases in which some detainees allegedly entered India through West Bengal several years ago and subsequently obtained required documents through intermediaries, which were then allegedly used to secure official identity papers. Police said the operation was planned using a combination of technical intelligence and human inputs. Raids and verification drives were conducted simultaneously across districts while transit points were placed under surveillance.

Sanghavi said, “As soon as raids commenced in cities, strict checks were put in place at bus stations, railway stations, highways and other entry-exit points to prevent suspects from fleeing.” He added that 18 suspected Bangladeshi nationals were detained at various checkpoints while allegedly attempting to leave after learning about the operation.

State director general of police K L N Rao said the exercise was supported by technical analysis conducted by the Cyber Centre of Excellence. “This campaign is entirely based on technical data and field verification. Based on technical and local inputs, extensive telecom analysis was carried out across Gujarat,” Rao said.

He added, “A database of Indian mobile numbers that were used to exchange communication with Bangladesh numbers was prepared. Through this process, information relating to more than 6,200 suspected Bangladeshi nationals was compiled and used for ground-level action against illegal networks.”

Kutch East SP Sagar Bagmar said teams found around 35 suspected persons across Gandhidham, Anjar, Rapar and Bhachau. “Of these, 27 have been identified as Bangladeshi nationals. Verification of the remaining persons is under way,” he said. Most of those detained were engaged in casual labour,” Bagmar said.

Officials said all detainees are being held under lawful detention procedures while authorities continue verifying their nationality and documents. Deportation proceedings will be initiated after the completion of the prescribed legal process.