Gujarat Police Detain Over 1,000 Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrants in Major Crackdown

In a massive operation, Gujarat Police detained over 1,000 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, including women and children, from Ahmedabad and Surat. Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi, confirmed the operation on Saturday and said that steps were being taken to deport them as soon as possible.

According to Sanghavi, about 890 Bangladeshis were detained in Ahmedabad and another 134 in Surat, making this the biggest crackdown of its kind by Gujarat police so far. Speaking to the media, he strongly warned all illegal immigrants living in Gujarat to surrender voluntarily or face arrest and deportation. He also issued a warning to anyone giving shelter to illegal immigrants, saying that strict legal action would be taken against them.

The minister revealed that many of the detained individuals had entered India using fake documents, mainly sourced from West Bengal. After settling in different parts of the country, they eventually moved to Gujarat. Sanghavi mentioned that investigations would be carried out to trace how these documents were created and who helped them.

Expressing serious concerns, Sanghavi said that some of these individuals were linked to drug networks, human trafficking, and even sleeper cells of terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda. A deep background check is now underway to identify any such connections among the detainees.

The government has instructed police forces across Gujarat to intensify their action against illegal immigrants, not just from Bangladesh but also from Pakistan, based on recent Cabinet Committee on Security decisions. Sanghavi stressed that it is the state's responsibility to ensure that no foreign nationals stay illegally.

Director General of Police (DGP) Vikas Sahay shared further details, saying that police were carefully verifying the identities of all those detained. Only after confirming their Bangladeshi nationality through documents and other evidence will the deportation process begin, in coordination with the Central government and Border Security Force (BSF).

The large-scale operation started around 3 am on Saturday and involved teams of police working through the night in Ahmedabad and Surat. Officials said that West Bengal would be informed about the misuse of documents originating from their state to help prevent similar issues in the future.

The Gujarat government praised the police forces involved for their dedication and success in carrying out this major crackdown, calling it a historic achievement in securing the state's borders from illegal migration.