Pune rural police arrested 21 Bangladeshis, including 15 men, four women and two members of the third gender, who were living in the country illegally. The group, mostly construction workers and security guards, had been living in the Ranjangaon area for various years, some for 10 years. Fake documents like voter ID cards and PAN cards were also recovered. Police are investigating a possible network facilitating illegal entry into India.
"Officials of the Anti-Terrorism Cell of the Pune rural police, assistant police inspector Prakash Pawar and assistant sub-inspector Vishal Gavhane, during their patrolling in the MIDC area, received inputs that some Bangladeshi nationals were staying illegally in Karegaon," a top official said, as quoted by news agency PTI.
"Our preliminary probe indicated that these individuals had been staying in India for varying periods - some of them from the last six months and some others from 10 years," Deshmukh said.
Bangladeshi nationals arrested in Pune
Pune police arrested 21 Bangladeshis found illegally living in the Ranjangaon area of the district. They were arrested following a tip-off received by the anti-terrorism squad of Pune rural police during a patrol.
Illegal stay duration and employment
The detained group included 15 men, four women and two individuals of the third gender. Many worked as labourers or security guards at construction sites in Karegaon under the Ranjangaon MIDC, more than 50 km from Pune. The duration of stay in India ranged from six months to 10 years.
Fake documents and possible racket
Police recovered fake voter IDs, UIDAI cards, and PAN cards from the accused. Authorities are investigating whether an organised company is involved in smuggling Bangladeshis to India by land and sea routes.
"From one of the accused, we recovered a voter identity card and in other cases, documents like UIDAI card and PAN card were recovered," he said, as reported by news agency PTI.
Legal action initiated
An FIR has been lodged at the Ranjangaon MIDC police station under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Passports Act, and the Foreigners Act. An investigation is underway to establish possible links to a large smuggling operation.
Also read | Odisha, Bengal begin evacuations ahead of Cyclone Dana, coast guard on high alert
