Bengaluru Police have transferred 31 Bangladeshi nationals detained during a citywide verification drive to a holding centre in Malda, West Bengal, where further formalities for their deportation will be completed.

 Bengaluru Police have sent 31 Bangladeshi nationals to Malda in West Bengal as part of ongoing deportation proceedings against foreign nationals allegedly staying in India without valid documents.

The group was detained from areas falling under 10 police stations across Bengaluru during the city's ongoing verification drive, known as Operation Mukta. The individuals were transported by train from Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal (SMVT) and escorted by a team of 20 police personnel. 

The group reached Malda and was handed over to authorities at the Karma Tirtha Holding Centre for further procedures related to deportation, Bengaluru Police said. The individuals will be processed in coordination with West Bengal authorities before the next stage of repatriation to Bangladesh. 

31 people moved to Malda holding centre

The transfer is part of the administrative and legal process preceding deportation. The move to Malda does not itself mean that the individuals have already been returned to Bangladesh.

Authorities are expected to complete the required verification and other formalities before the group is handed over through the prescribed mechanism for repatriation.

West Bengal authorities received the group after it arrived at Malda Town railway station and subsequently took them to the designated holding facility in English Bazar. Officials are expected to verify identities and complete the relevant procedures before any formal deportation. 

Action follows Operation Mukta

The Bengaluru Police action comes amid an intensified drive to identify foreign nationals allegedly residing in the city without valid immigration documents.

Under Operation Mukta, police teams have conducted verification exercises across Bengaluru. Earlier reporting said the operation resulted in 105 Bangladeshi nationals being identified during the wider exercise, with their cases being processed by the competent authorities. 

In the Electronic City division, police had earlier carried out extensive document verification involving 1,909 people. Officials said those requiring further scrutiny were referred to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for appropriate action. 

Police have maintained that deportation proceedings require verification and coordination with the relevant central and state authorities.

Police appeal against vigilantism

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh has appealed to residents to provide information about suspected undocumented foreign nationals to the police.

At the same time, police have cautioned members of the public against taking the law into their own hands or harassing people on the basis of suspicion.

The latest transfer of the 31 individuals is therefore another step in Bengaluru's broader verification and deportation process, while the cases of other people identified during the operation remain subject to individual verification and further legal proceedings.