New Delhi [India], June 16 (ANI): The Foreigners Cell of the North-West District Police apprehended 36 Bangladeshi nationals, including 17 minors, during a targeted raid in the Wazirpur JJ Colony area of Delhi on June 13, said an official.

The operation was based on specific intelligence regarding the presence of illegal immigrants in the locality.

According to the police, the crackdown was part of a broader initiative to identify and take legal action against unauthorised foreign nationals residing in the national capital. Acting on credible information, the Foreigners Cell conducted sustained surveillance, culminating in a comprehensive verification drive across 25 footpaths and 32 lanes within the jurisdiction of Bharat Nagar Police Station.

During the operation, a suspicious individual was apprehended and interrogated. Though he initially misled the officials, he later confessed to being a Bangladeshi national without valid documentation. Based on his revelations, police identified and detained 35 more individuals from the area.

The group, comprising 19 adults and 17 children, was all found to be living without valid travel documents, visas, or permits, in violation of the Foreigners Act, 1946, and other relevant immigration laws. Police said all individuals were taken into custody and transported to the Foreigners Cell for interrogation and formal documentation.

During the questioning, the detainees disclosed that they had previously worked in a brick kiln in Mewat, Haryana, but fled the area fearing arrest by local authorities. Since then, they had been moving frequently between footpaths and were attempting to find rented housing to integrate into the local population.

Authorities recovered seven smartphones equipped with the banned IMO application, often used for international communication, along with 13 Bangladeshi national identity cards. The seized material has been sent for forensic analysis, and further investigation is underway.

Police sources said efforts are ongoing to trace the network facilitating illegal immigration and sheltering of foreign nationals. Legal proceedings for deportation and additional action under relevant immigration and cybersecurity laws are being initiated. (ANI)