The Assam Police has apprehended 18 Bangladeshi nationals in two separate operations conducted in Guwahati and arrested four persons accused of facilitating their stay and movement within the city.
According to a press release issued by the police, a team from the Border Branch and Panbazar Police Station intercepted five Bangladeshi nationals, including four women and one man, during a routine inspection aboard the Lokamanya Tilak Terminal Express at Guwahati Railway Station on October 6.
Police said the group was allegedly attempting to travel to Mumbai in search of employment. During questioning, they reportedly admitted to being Bangladeshi nationals who had entered India illegally through the Meghalaya border without valid travel documents. The individuals were identified as residents of Dhaka, Bogura, Rajbari, Narail and Jamalpur districts of Bangladesh.
Investigators recovered three Aadhaar cards from their possession, of which one was found to be genuine. During interrogation, the woman carrying the genuine Aadhaar card reportedly disclosed that she had previously visited India and married a person in Gujarat.
Further investigation revealed that the group had stayed at a hotel in Guwahati before their planned journey to Mumbai. Based on the findings, police registered a case against the hotel owner and staff members for allegedly providing shelter and assistance to the foreign nationals.
Police have arrested four persons in connection with the case, including hotel owner Amit Roy Basumatary. Three other accused, identified as Hajrat Ali, Vishal Paul and Ranjan Dhar, were also arrested during subsequent operations.
In a separate operation on Tuesday, the Border Branch conducted a raid at a hotel in Guwahati and apprehended 13 more Bangladeshi nationals, including four men, four women and five children.
During interrogation, the group reportedly stated that they had been living illegally in the Pantha Chowk area of Srinagar for the past 14 to 15 years. They allegedly left Kashmir after a crackdown by local police on illegal immigrants and arrived in Guwahati intending to return to Bangladesh.
Police said legal procedures have been initiated for their deportation in accordance with the provisions of the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950.
