31 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants held in Bengaluru moved to Malda for deportation
Synopsis
Karnataka Police's Operation Mukt netted 105 suspected illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in a single drive — 31 of whom have now been escorted over 2,000 kilometres to Malda for BSF-led deportation. The case is emerging as a cross-state enforcement template as West Bengal's BJP government doubles down on its zero-tolerance immigration stance.
Key Takeaways
31 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants arrested in Bengaluru were transferred to Malda district, West Bengal on 2 September for deportation.
Operation Mukt , conducted on 9 August , saw documents of 2,944 people verified; 105 Bangladeshis were flagged as suspected illegal immigrants.
A team of 20 Karnataka Police personnel escorted the detainees by train under special surveillance to Malda.
The group is lodged at a holding centre in Malda and will be handed over to the BSF for the pushback process once formalities are complete.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Home Minister Amit Shah have both publicly backed zero-tolerance action on illegal infiltration.
Thirty-one illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, arrested during a targeted crackdown by the Karnataka Police in Bengaluru, were transferred to Malda district in West Bengal on Wednesday, 2 September, as authorities initiated the legal process for their deportation to Bangladesh. The group is currently lodged at a holding centre in Malda, a district that shares a border with Bangladesh.
How the Arrests Were Made
The detentions stem from Operation Mukt, a special drive conducted by the Karnataka Police on 9 August to identify suspected illegal immigrants. During the operation, documents of 2,944 individuals were verified. Of these, 105 Bangladeshi nationals were flagged as suspected illegal immigrants, and 31 were formally arrested in Bengaluru.
According to police sources, the arrested individuals allegedly did not possess valid documents to establish their legal status in India. They are reported to have entered India illegally through the international border with Bangladesh in West Bengal before travelling to Bengaluru in search of employment.
The Transfer to Malda
The 31 detainees were held at a detention facility in Bengaluru for approximately three months before their transfer. A team of 20 Karnataka Police personnel escorted them by train under special surveillance to Malda Town railway station, where they arrived late on Tuesday night. They were subsequently handed over to the West Bengal Police, who transported them by bus to the holding centre.
An officer of the Malda district police confirmed the handover and said the necessary procedural formalities had been completed prior to the transfer.
What Happens Next
Once the remaining legal formalities are completed, the group will be handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF), which guards India's international border with Bangladesh, for the pushback process. Officials confirmed that the deportation procedure had already been set in motion.
Broader Context: West Bengal's Crackdown on Illegal Immigration
The development comes amid a sharply intensified crackdown on suspected illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in West Bengal. After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in the state in May this year, authorities stepped up surveillance along border districts. Holding centres have been established in several border areas to temporarily accommodate detainees.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has publicly maintained a 'zero tolerance' stance on infiltration. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also repeatedly called for stringent measures against illegal infiltration, stressing the need to identify and deport undocumented entrants. This transfer is among the more visible outcomes of that policy direction, involving inter-state police coordination across more than 2,000 kilometres from Bengaluru to Malda.
Notably, this is not an isolated incident — Karnataka's Operation Mukt identified 105 suspected illegal immigrants in a single drive, underscoring the scale of undocumented migration that enforcement agencies say has gone largely unchecked for years. With deportation proceedings now formally underway, the case is being closely watched as a template for cross-state coordination on immigration enforcement.
Point of View
Far from the border districts that usually dominate the narrative. Verifying documents of nearly 3,000 people in a single drive and identifying 105 suspected illegal immigrants in one city alone suggests the problem is both urban and systemic. The cross-state coordination between Karnataka and West Bengal Police is operationally significant — but the real test is whether deportation actually follows detention, or whether bureaucratic delays leave the 31 in a legal limbo that has historically plagued such cases. With West Bengal now under BJP governance, the political incentive to follow through is higher than before, but the legal and diplomatic machinery for Bangladesh deportations remains slow and contested.
NationPress
2 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the 31 Bangladeshi immigrants arrested in Bengaluru?
They are Bangladeshi nationals who allegedly entered India illegally through the international border in West Bengal and travelled to Bengaluru in search of employment. They were arrested during Operation Mukt on 9 August after failing to produce valid documents establishing their legal status in India.
What is Operation Mukt conducted by the Karnataka Police?
Operation Mukt was a special drive by the Karnataka Police, carried out on 9 August, to identify suspected illegal immigrants in Bengaluru. During the operation, documents of 2,944 people were checked, leading to 105 Bangladeshi nationals being flagged as suspected illegal immigrants, of whom 31 were formally arrested.
What happens to the 31 detainees now that they are in Malda?
They are currently lodged at a holding centre in Malda district, West Bengal. Once the legal formalities for deportation are completed, they will be handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) for the pushback process to Bangladesh.
Why were they brought to Malda specifically?
Malda is a West Bengal district that borders Bangladesh, making it a logistically appropriate transit point for deportation. Holding centres have been established in border districts like Malda to temporarily accommodate detainees ahead of BSF-led pushbacks.
What is the West Bengal government's position on illegal Bangladeshi immigration?
After the BJP came to power in West Bengal in May this year, the state government stepped up surveillance and enforcement action against suspected illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has stated a zero-tolerance position on infiltration, and holding centres have been set up across several border areas.
