Illegal immigrants / Odisha Police Seize Sikandar Alam’s Passport, Launch Hunt in Bangladeshi Infiltration Case
·4 months ago·3 min read
Key Points
- Odisha Police seized Sikandar Alam's passport and launched a search for him in the Bangladeshi infiltration case in Jagatsinghpur.
- 10 illegal houses allegedly built by Alam to shelter around 30 suspected Bangladeshi nationals were demolished after a police team was attacked during a raid.
- 13 suspects have been detained as police verify documents amid reports of fake Aadhaar cards and alleged complicity of local revenue staff.
Jagatsinghpur, Nov 18: After seizing Sikandar Alam’s car in connection with the Bangladeshi infiltration case in Jagatsinghpur district, police on Tuesday also confiscated his passport.
Jagatsinghpur police have begun the process to cancel his passport and will issue a lookout notice.
A separate team has been formed to arrest him, and police are currently searching for Alam.
Meanwhile, police are verifying Aadhaar and other documents of the detained suspects. Where necessary, raids will be conducted at locations suspected of issuing fake Aadhaar cards, a source said Tuesday.
According to the source, Alam, who previously worked on a merchant navy vessel, reportedly maintained ties in several countries. Police said he allegedly brought in foreign funds to run an illegal madrassa. After quitting his job, he also worked as a driver for several 'influential' people.
While Sikandar Alam, the main accused, kept a Bangladeshi national in illegal possession for four years, the local revenue inspector and tehsildar failed to detect it. "The district administration has written to the revenue inspector and tehsildar regarding this,” said Sub-Collector Prashant Kumar Tarai.
“A letter has been sent to all tehsildars in the district to immediately report encroachment of government land. Strict action will follow wherever illegal encroachment is found”, Tarai added.
Scuffle and crackdown
The Jagatsinghpur administration Monday demolished 10 houses allegedly built illegally on government land to accommodate nearly 30 suspected Bangladeshi nationals in a village under Raghunathpur block.
Police have detained 13 suspected infiltrators, while two women were arrested for allegedly harbouring the illegal settlers.
Also Read: Bangladeshi Infiltrators To Be Deported From Odisha, Says Law Minister
The demolition was carried out at Behram slum under Tarikunda panchayat, a day after suspected Bangladeshi settlers allegedly attacked a police team, injuring three officers, including a woman constable.
On Sunday evening, acting on a tip-off, police led by Additional SP Satyabrat Dash had raided the slum. A scuffle broke out, injuring Dash and two other personnel. Ten suspected Bangladeshi nationals fled during the raid.
Security was tightened with three platoons of police deployed. Later that night, officers seized a country-made revolver and 10 sharp weapons, including swords and machetes, hidden inside a house.
Investigators found that Alam, 40, had encroached on government land four to five years ago and built 10 asbestos houses, where about 30 suspected Bangladeshi nationals were staying. At the time of the raid, police said 18 fled and 12 were found inside the houses. Three suspects were detained Sunday night, and another 10 were taken into custody for questioning Monday.
During verification, the detainees produced Aadhaar cards purportedly issued in West Bengal, which were found to be fake.
Authorities later determined that Alam had occupied government land with the knowledge of some revenue staff. TPCODL personnel had also installed electricity meters at the illegal settlement.
On Monday, the administration demolished the 10 illegal houses in the presence of magistrates and the Sub-Collector.
Jagatsinghpur Collector J Sonal had informed that a special team has been formed to track down other suspects who fled after Sunday’s scuffle.
Jagatsinghpur police have begun the process to cancel his passport and will issue a lookout notice.
A separate team has been formed to arrest him, and police are currently searching for Alam.
Meanwhile, police are verifying Aadhaar and other documents of the detained suspects. Where necessary, raids will be conducted at locations suspected of issuing fake Aadhaar cards, a source said Tuesday.
According to the source, Alam, who previously worked on a merchant navy vessel, reportedly maintained ties in several countries. Police said he allegedly brought in foreign funds to run an illegal madrassa. After quitting his job, he also worked as a driver for several 'influential' people.
While Sikandar Alam, the main accused, kept a Bangladeshi national in illegal possession for four years, the local revenue inspector and tehsildar failed to detect it. "The district administration has written to the revenue inspector and tehsildar regarding this,” said Sub-Collector Prashant Kumar Tarai.
“A letter has been sent to all tehsildars in the district to immediately report encroachment of government land. Strict action will follow wherever illegal encroachment is found”, Tarai added.
Scuffle and crackdown
The Jagatsinghpur administration Monday demolished 10 houses allegedly built illegally on government land to accommodate nearly 30 suspected Bangladeshi nationals in a village under Raghunathpur block.
Police have detained 13 suspected infiltrators, while two women were arrested for allegedly harbouring the illegal settlers.
Also Read: Bangladeshi Infiltrators To Be Deported From Odisha, Says Law Minister
The demolition was carried out at Behram slum under Tarikunda panchayat, a day after suspected Bangladeshi settlers allegedly attacked a police team, injuring three officers, including a woman constable.
On Sunday evening, acting on a tip-off, police led by Additional SP Satyabrat Dash had raided the slum. A scuffle broke out, injuring Dash and two other personnel. Ten suspected Bangladeshi nationals fled during the raid.
Security was tightened with three platoons of police deployed. Later that night, officers seized a country-made revolver and 10 sharp weapons, including swords and machetes, hidden inside a house.
Investigators found that Alam, 40, had encroached on government land four to five years ago and built 10 asbestos houses, where about 30 suspected Bangladeshi nationals were staying. At the time of the raid, police said 18 fled and 12 were found inside the houses. Three suspects were detained Sunday night, and another 10 were taken into custody for questioning Monday.
During verification, the detainees produced Aadhaar cards purportedly issued in West Bengal, which were found to be fake.
Authorities later determined that Alam had occupied government land with the knowledge of some revenue staff. TPCODL personnel had also installed electricity meters at the illegal settlement.
On Monday, the administration demolished the 10 illegal houses in the presence of magistrates and the Sub-Collector.
Jagatsinghpur Collector J Sonal had informed that a special team has been formed to track down other suspects who fled after Sunday’s scuffle.
📱 Get Argus News App
✨📰 60 Word News🎬 Argus Podcast📺 Live TV and Breaking News🔔 Free Notification Alerts
Download Free:
Related Topics
Explore more stories