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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
TTD chairman requests Centre to designate Tirumala as no-fly zone
Tirupati, Mar (PTI): TTD chairman B R Naidu on Saturday urged for Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu's intervention to designate Tirumala as a no-fly zone.
Tirumala should be declared a no-fly zone, keeping in mind the principles of Agama Shastra (sacred texts), sanctity of the temple and safety and sentiments of the devotees, he said.
"Low flying planes, helicopters and other aerial activities on the Tirumala hill are disturbing the sacred atmosphere around the Srivari (Lord Venkateswara) temple," said Naidu.
To protect the sanctity and cultural and spiritual heritage of Tirumala, the TTD Chairman sought the Union Minister to respond in this matter for appropriate action.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is the custodian of the famous Lord Venkateswara Temple.
