18 Bangladeshis Without Valid Documents Held in Guwahati in Two Operations

Eighteen Bangladeshi nationals allegedly staying in India without valid travel documents were apprehended in two separate operations in Guwahati over two days, Assam Police said on Wednesday.

In the latest operation, police detained 13 Bangladeshis, including four women and five children, from a hotel in the city following specific information. According to police, the group had arrived in Guwahati from Delhi on Wednesday morning and was planning to return to Bangladesh.

During questioning, they allegedly told police that they had been staying illegally near Pantha Chowk in Srinagar for 14-15 years. They reportedly fled the area following a major police crackdown and travelled to Guwahati to return to their country of origin.

Police said legal action has been initiated for their expulsion from India.

In another operation on Tuesday, five Bangladeshi nationals, including four women, were apprehended from the Mumbai-bound Lokamanya Tilak Terminal Express at Guwahati railway station.

According to police, the five were travelling towards western India in search of employment. One of them had previously entered India and married a man in Gujarat, police said.

The five allegedly entered India through the land border in Meghalaya without valid travel documents and had been staying at a hotel in Guwahati before boarding the train.

Police also arrested four people, including the hotel owner, for allegedly harbouring the Bangladeshi nationals and facilitating their journey.

The latest arrests come amid intensified checks against illegal immigration in Assam and other parts of the Northeast. Police have been conducting operations to identify and detain foreign nationals allegedly residing in the country without valid documentation.

Authorities are now proceeding with legal action in both cases, including steps for deportation where applicable, police said.