GUWAHATI: Guwahati Police apprehended 18 Bangladeshi nationals, including women and children, in two separate operations in the city on Tuesday, October 6, according to police.
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In the first operation, four women and one man were apprehended from the general coach of Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express (Train No. 15648) at Guwahati Railway Station around 2:30 PM.
The train was scheduled to depart from Guwahati for Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Maharashtra at 3 PM. Police said the five individuals were Bangladeshi nationals and were allegedly travelling to Mumbai in search of employment.
According to police, three Aadhaar cards were recovered from their possession, of which one was found to be genuine. During preliminary questioning, the woman found with the genuine Aadhaar card reportedly revealed that she had previously entered India and married a person in Gujarat.
Police said the five individuals belonged to Dhaka, Bogura, Rajbari, Narail and Jamalpur districts of Bangladesh. During questioning, they allegedly admitted to entering India illegally through the Meghalaya border by land without valid travel or identity documents.
Police further said the group had stayed at Vintage Home hotel in Tokobari before planning their journey to Mumbai. A case has been registered at Panbazar Police Station against the hotel owner and other staff for allegedly harbouring the individuals and facilitating their stay and onward travel.
The case has been registered as Panbazar PS Case No. 225/26. Police have already arrested four people in connection with the case, including Vintage Home owner Amit Roy Basumatary. Three others identified as Hajrat Ali, Vishal Paul and Ranjan Dhar have also been arrested in separate operations, police said.
In a separate operation around 2:30 PM on Tuesday, the Border Branch of the Guwahati Police Commissionerate conducted a raid at Shanti Hotel based on specific input and apprehended 13 Bangladeshi nationals, including four men, four women and five children.
According to police, the group had arrived in Guwahati from Delhi earlier in the day and intended to return to Bangladesh.
During questioning, they allegedly said they had been staying illegally in India for the past 14 to 15 years near Pantha Chowk in Srinagar. Police said they left Srinagar following a crackdown by Srinagar Police against Bangladeshi nationals staying illegally in the area and travelled to Guwahati to return to Bangladesh.
Police said further legal action is being initiated against those apprehended, with the process for their expulsion from India being undertaken in accordance with the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950.
