27 Bangladeshi nationals arrested for illegal stay in Kerala's Kochi
Kochi (Kerala), Jan 31 (PTI): In one of the biggest crackdowns on Bangladeshi nationals residing illegally in India, police in Kerala have arrested 27 illegal migrants who are believed to have entered the country by wading through a shallow section of a river along the India-Bangladesh border.
They were arrested in a joint operation carried out in the early hours of Friday by Ernakulam rural police and the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) in the North Paravur area near here, police said.
"These Bangladeshi nationals reportedly entered India by crossing a shallow section of a river along the India-Bangladesh border," the Ernakulam rural police said in a statement.
They had been engaged in various types of work in the area and had arrived in North Paravur after staying in multiple locations across India, it added.
All the 27 were arrested from a house rented by Harshad Hossain, a native of Mannam near North Paravur, the statement said.
During interrogation, the arrested individuals claimed that agents in Bangladesh had arranged all their Indian documents.
Police said an investigation has been launched into the matter. Those who assisted them locally are also under surveillance, it said.
The Bangladeshi nationals were working at various locations in the guise of migrant workers from West Bengal, and a detailed questioning of the arrested is underway, a top police official said.
The arrests were part of an ongoing special operation, 'Operation Clean,' launched by Ernakulam Rural District Police Chief Vaibhav Saxena after the arrest of 28-year-old Thaslima Begum two weeks ago.
Acting on a tip-off about Bangladeshi nationals staying in North Paravur, a team from Ernakulam Rural Police, assisted by the ATS, conducted a search, an officer said.
Verification of their documents revealed that they were Bangladeshi nationals illegally residing in India, posing as Indian citizens, he added.
A senior police officer said more details could not be disclosed at this stage, noting that this might be the biggest arrest of Bangladeshi nationals in the country within a month.
The arrested will be produced before the court after completing the interrogation, he added.
With these arrests, the number of Bangladeshis detained in the Ernakulam rural district police limits this month has risen to 34, police added.
The police on Thursday also arrested two Bangladeshi women from here for illegally staying in India.
According to the police, Kobitiba (22) and Rubina Sheikh (19) were arrested from Kodanadu in the Ernakulam rural police limits.
The checks would be intensified as part of 'Operation Clean', Saxena, who is leading the probe, said.
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Trump says EU has until July 4 to approve last year's trade deal or it will face higher tariffs
Washington (AP): President Donald Trump has said in a social media post that goods from the European Union would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc fails to approve last year's trade framework by July 4.
The announcement on Thursday appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU autos would face a higher 25 per cent tariff starting this week. Trump made the updated announcement after what he described as a "great call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Still, the US president was displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalize the trade arrangement reached last year, which was further complicated in February by the US Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks.
"A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!" Trump posted. "I agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels."
It was unclear from the post whether Trump was implying that the tariff rates would jump on all EU goods or the increase would only apply to autos.
His latest statement indicates he might be backing away from his earlier threat on EU autos by giving the European Parliament several more weeks to approve the agreement.
Under the original terms of the framework, the US would charge a 15 per cent tax on most goods imported from the EU.
But since the Supreme Court ruling, the administration has levied a 10 per cent tariff while investigating trade imbalances and national security issues, aiming to put in new tariffs to make up for lost revenues.
