Ahmedabad, Apr 26: In a massive statewide crackdown, over 550 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh were detained in Ahmedabad and Surat for residing in India with forged documents, Gujarat police said on Saturday.

Deportation proceedings will follow once verification and interrogation are complete, said the official.

The coordinated operations were led by multiple law enforcement units, including the Special Operations Group (SOG), Crime Branch, Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), Prevention of Crime Branch (PCB), and local police teams. Officials confirmed that all detained individuals were in India without valid documentation and had used fake papers to establish residence.

In Surat, an overnight combing operation carried out jointly by SOG, DCB, AHTU, PCB, and local police resulted in the detention of more than 100 Bangladeshi nationals. "They had entered India illegally and were living in Surat with forged documents. After the investigation, they will be deported to Bangladesh," said Rajdeep Singh Nakum, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Operations Group.

A simultaneous operation was carried out in Ahmedabad around 3 am on Saturday. Teams from the Crime Branch, SOG, Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Zone 6, and Headquarters detained over 450 individuals suspected to be illegal immigrants. DCP Crime Branch Ajit Rajian confirmed that more than 400 people were taken into custody during the early morning sweep.

Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch, Ahmedabad, Sharad Singhal, stated that these actions were taken in compliance with orders from the Home Minister, the Commissioner of Police, and the Director General of Police.

"HM, CP and DGP had directed us that illegal immigrants must be held. The Crime Branch registered two FIRS from April 2024 till now. 127 illegal Bangladeshis were caught and 77 were deported," he said.

Singhal noted that the latest raid in Ahmedabad was based on intelligence reports indicating a significant number of undocumented immigrants in the Chandola area.

"We had inputs that a huge number of Bangladeshis are residing in the Chandola area... Early this morning, the police carried out a combing operation. We have detained 457 people so far... Deportation will be processed after interrogation...," he added.

(ANI)

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