No bail for illegal Bangladeshi nationals

To the advantage of Mumbai police, the designated magistrate’s court has, since earlier this month, stopped granting bail to Bangladeshi nationals staying illegally in India. Earlier, they used to become untraceable after easily securing bail. In the last fortnight, about 70-odd Bangladeshi nationals, who were not granted bail, are now cooling their heels in prison for allegedly living illegally in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had last year raised the issue of immigrants’ crossing over from Bangladesh and overstaying in the country.

“After getting bail they used to become untraceable by changing their address where they lived on rent. They also changed their workplace. This made the task of tracing them very difficult,” stated a report prepared by the Mumbai police crime branch on the issues they faced while dealing with Bangladeshis. The special branch arrested around 450-odd Bangladeshis in the entire last year, while this year around 850 Bangladeshis have been arrested and about 42 have been deported.

An officer said, “When arrested, the Bangladeshis have not been able to show even a single blood relative of theirs in India but claim they are from Bengal. On our request the court has granted us time to verify the documents produced by the Bangladeshis. We will send a team to Bengal and if the documents are forged, we shall intimate the magistrate. By this time, the Bangaldeshis will be in judicial custody.”

The accused have been arrested from Govandi, Shivaji Nagar, Bangenwadi, Bandra, Mankhurd, Dongri, Reay Road, Mazgaon in Mumbai and Bhayender, Mira Road, Vashi, Kopar, Nerul, Seawoods, Mumbra, Kalwa and Kharghar in Thane and Navi Mumbai. Last month, the ATS busted a fake passport racket where four Bangladeshis had procured Indian passports at throwaway prices using forged documents in Narpoli.

However, according to SB sources, the ones arrested are poor labourers who get work here, as they offer their services at cheaper rates than Indians. Some Bangladeshi women also get into the flesh trade. Nearly, a dozen agents who have brought this Bangladeshis have been arrested. The accused have been booked under the Foreigner Registration Act and Passport Act. The police has also booked landlords who allowed them to stay without filling the form C and alerting the police.