Mumbai, June 6 (IANS) In a major operation against illegal immigration, Mumbai Police arrested seven Bangladeshi nationals who were allegedly residing in India without valid documents for nearly 15 years, officials said on Saturday.

The action was carried out by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) Police in Andheri, where officers conducted a targeted operation based on specific Intelligence inputs and detained the seven individuals suspected of illegally entering and staying in the country.

According to investigators, the arrested people had crossed into India unlawfully and had been living in Mumbai for the past one-and-a-half decades while allegedly evading detection by authorities.

Police said the MIDC Police Anti-Terrorism Cell (ATC) received information that a group of undocumented foreign nationals would be visiting the area in search of employment. Acting on the tip-off, officers laid a trap and intercepted the suspects.

The arrested group comprises four men, two women and one minor boy. Following their detention, officials began a detailed investigation into their background, movement and contacts.

During preliminary questioning, investigators found that the accused had remained in contact with relatives and associates in Bangladesh through telephone communication.

Police officials said further enquiries are underway to identify anyone who may have assisted the group in entering India, obtaining accommodation or securing employment over the years.

Further details are awaited.

The arrests come amid an intensified statewide campaign by Maharashtra Police against undocumented Bangladeshi nationals allegedly living in various cities across the state.

In recent months, law enforcement agencies have undertaken a series of Intelligence-based operations and verification drives aimed at identifying and taking action against foreign nationals residing illegally in India.

One such major operation was conducted earlier in February by the Versova Police in Mumbai. During that drive, authorities arrested 25 Bangladeshi nationals from the Yari Road area in Andheri West for allegedly residing in India without legal authorisation.

Among those arrested in the February operation were 21 transgender persons, two women and two men. Police subsequently initiated the process of deporting the detained individuals to Bangladesh.

Investigators in that case alleged that the accused had entered India illegally several years earlier, first crossing into Kolkata before travelling through Delhi and Gujarat and eventually settling in Mumbai.

Police stated that after arriving in the city, the individuals allegedly procured multiple fraudulent Indian identity documents in an attempt to establish residency and avoid detection.

During the operation, officers recovered a large number of Indian and Bangladeshi documents from the accused. These records were seized and examined as part of the investigation into the alleged document fraud and illegal immigration network.

Authorities are continuing efforts to uncover the full extent of such networks operating in Maharashtra and other parts of the country.

–IANS

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