159 Bangladeshi and 24 Pakistani Nationals Detained in Karnataka: Home Minister
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Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 19 (NationPress) - During a session in the Legislative Council at Belagavi Suvarna Vidhana Soudha on Thursday, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara revealed that the state police have detained 159 Bangladeshi nationals and 24 Pakistani nationals who are illegally residing in the state. Additionally, investigations have uncovered that 115 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh have been living in Karnataka.
The inquiry was prompted by a question from BJP MLC D. S. Arun in the Council.
In his response, Parameshwara stated, “A special unit has been established to address the issue of illegal immigrants and to track them down. The influx of illegal immigration into Indian territory is not a recent issue, with lakhs of illegal immigrants entering the country.”
He emphasized, “Indian soldiers are working to prevent their entry at the borders, but it raises the question of how these illegal immigrants continue to infiltrate our territory despite the border monitoring.”
“We are committed to identifying and deporting those individuals, gathering intelligence and verifying their status every year,” Parameshwara added.
In addition to individuals from Pakistan and Bangladesh, there are reports of individuals from African countries arriving in India and engaging in drug trafficking. “They often enter India on student visas and become involved in the drug trade. To combat this, the state police have created a Special Task Force at the district level,” he mentioned.
“The state government is actively working to monitor foreign nationals residing illegally in Karnataka,” Parameshwara reiterated.
Recently, in September, the Bengaluru Rural police apprehended 17 Pakistani nationals who were living illegally in Karnataka under Hindu identities. The police have submitted a chargesheet that accuses them of forgery and violating the Passport Act.
The chargesheet, consisting of 1,200 pages, details allegations of cheating and forgery against the accused.
Parameshwara previously questioned, “If it's accurate that illegal immigrants have resided in India for a decade, why haven't intelligence agencies and other authorities tracked them? Though the passports were issued after thorough scrutiny, they still managed to obtain them.”
“Many individuals from Bangladesh are entering India. We are consistently apprehending illegal migrants from Bangladesh and deporting them. The influx continues, and the porous nature of the Bangladesh border necessitates tighter security measures. This is a significant concern for the Union government and the military,” Parameshwara stated.
