In Jalangi, Baruipur, and Palashipara, the crackdown on illegal foreigners continued as seven more suspected Bangladeshi nationals were sent to the holding centre in Murshidabad on Tuesday, a day after such centres debuted in Murshidabad and Malda. This brings the total number of inmates at the Murshidabad centre to ten.
Arrests and Transfer
Late on Monday, police spotted several suspicious individuals in the Gopalpur area under Jalangi Police Station. Following interrogation, the individuals confessed to being Bangladeshi nationals. After mandatory health check-ups at Domkal hospital, the detainees were moved to the newly designated holding centre at Lalgola.
Security Measures
Authorities have significantly tightened security at the centre, located on the second floor of the Padma Bhawan fishery society building. Surveillance has been doubled during the night shift, with police officers and civic volunteers maintaining a continuous watch alongside newly installed CCTV cameras monitoring every floor and perimeter.
Chief Minister's Statement
Speaking to reporters, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said: "Why will we spend hard-earned taxpayers' money on maintaining and feeding illegal infiltrators at correctional homes? We are not introducing any new law. What we are doing is as per legal provisions which have been there for a long time. The only difference is that the existing law was not enforced by previous regimes. We are just enforcing those legal provisions in the interest of the country and the state."
Referring to the Foreigners Act, Adhikari stressed that the responsibility for repatriation rested internationally. "These people must leave. I remember their (Dhaka's) spokesperson saying they will take back their citizens; I have seen it on social media and YouTube. We have already instructed police not to send them to jail."
Detentions in Other Areas
In South 24 Parganas, Baruipur cops detained a 39-year-old Bangladeshi woman, identified as Lakin Tati, from Mallikpur. Investigators said she was living illegally in a rented house at Beniyadanga for nearly five years, while her husband, Ziarur Rahman Tati, remains in Jessore. Police recovered a state-owned bank passbook and an Indian Aadhaar card from her possession.
In Nadia, Palashipara Police arrested a Bangladeshi national identified as Mohammad Tahidul Islam, originally from Meherpur, Bangladesh. Investigators revealed that Tahidul crossed the border illegally and was residing in Baruipara under the name ‘Suman Sheikh' using forged papers.
