Delhi Police arrested eight Bangladeshi nationals, including an aspiring beautician and a minor, for illegal stay in the city. Raids in multiple areas led to their detention. The crackdown is part of an ongoing drive launched in December to tackle illegal immigration in coordination with the FRRO.
An aspiring beautician is among eight Bangladeshi nationals, including five women, arrested in Delhi for illegally staying in the country, officials said on Thursday. The arrests are part of an intensified crackdown by the Delhi Police on illegal immigration.
One of the detainees, 21-year-old Sadia Sultana, had come to Delhi in 2018 to pursue a beautician’s course, hoping to work in a local beauty parlour. She was arrested from Katwaria Sarai along with her mother, Papia Khatoon, 36, who had entered India illegally in 2007 via the Ghoja Donga border. Papia, abandoned by her husband in Bangladesh, had been working as a domestic help in south Delhi.
The police conducted raids in areas such as Satya Niketan, Kishangarh, and Katwaria Sarai, based on intelligence reports. Most of those arrested were working as housemaids or shop assistants.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South West) Surendra Choudhary said some of the detained individuals were carrying Aadhaar cards to pass off as Indian citizens. They were presented before the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) on Wednesday and later moved to a deportation centre for repatriation to Bangladesh.
The arrests were triggered by the interrogation of Rabiul Islam, 38, from Jessore district in Bangladesh, who entered India illegally in 2012. His wife Seema, who also entered India illegally in 2016 through the Tripura border, was detained along with their son. Another detainee, Rifat Ara Moyna, arrived in 2023 through the Benapole border with help from a broker.
In a related development, the Delhi Police detained seven more Bangladeshi nationals, including a minor, from east Delhi and Ghaziabad. Those detained include Dilawar Khan (48), Beauty Begum (39), Rafikul (43), Tauhid (20), Md Azhar (28), Zakir Malik (40), and a 15-year-old girl. Dilawar Khan was the first to be apprehended in Krishna Nagar, later revealing his origin in Khulna, Bangladesh.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Abhishek Dhania confirmed that the deportation process is underway in coordination with the FRRO. The arrests are part of a wider campaign that began in December and was intensified following a high-level meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in February.
