Mumbai, Jan 14 (IANS) The Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Wednesday arrested a 30-year-old Bangladeshi woman from the Cuffe Parade area for illegally staying in the city without valid travel or immigration documents. Police said the woman had earlier been deported to Bangladesh but managed to re-enter India unlawfully.

A case has been registered against her under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Foreigners Act.

The arrested woman has been identified as Bilkis Begum Sirmiya Akhtar. She was apprehended during a joint operation conducted by Mumbai ATS officials along with personnel from the Cuffe Parade police station.

According to police officials, the ATS received specific intelligence inputs indicating that a foreign national had illegally entered India and was residing in the Cuffe Parade area of south Mumbai. Acting promptly on the information, a team of ATS officers, in coordination with local police, conducted a raid at the suspected location.

During the operation, the team detained a woman whose identity was later confirmed with the help of an informant. Subsequently, the Nirbhaya Mobile-5 patrol vehicle was summoned, and the woman was formally apprehended and taken into custody.

During initial questioning, the woman reportedly gave evasive replies regarding her identity and stay in India. However, after sustained interrogation, she confessed that she is a Bangladeshi national. She further revealed that she had earlier been deported by the Mumbai Crime Branch in August 2025 for illegally residing in the country.

Despite her deportation, she admitted that she had once again entered India by evading border security and had been living in a rented room in the Cuffe Parade area without possessing any valid passport, visa, or other immigration documents.

A personal search of the accused was conducted in the presence of a female panch. During the search, police recovered an Infinix mobile phone from her possession. Upon examination, the device was found to contain her Bangladeshi National Identity number. Photographs of the identity card stored on the mobile phone were secured as digital evidence. The phone was subsequently sealed and seized under a panchnama.

An FIR has been registered at the Cuffe Parade police station under the relevant sections of the BNS and the Foreigners Act for illegal entry into India, unauthorised stay, and failure to produce valid travel documents.

Further investigation is underway to determine how she re-entered India after being deported and whether she is connected to any illegal network that facilitates cross-border infiltration.

–IANS

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