Gujarat police detain 501 Bangladeshi nationals in Operation Delta Hunt

Gujarat Police detained 501 Bangladeshi nationals during a statewide operation against illegal immigration. Authorities are also verifying over 6,200 individuals and investigating those who allegedly provided shelter or jobs to undocumented migrants, as part of the ongoing Operation Delta Hunt

Ahmedabad: Police have apprehended a total of 501 Bangladeshi nationals from parts of Gujarat in the last two days as part of “Operation Delta Hunt” for illegal stay in the country, officials said on Thursday. The crackdown began early Wednesday morning, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi’s office confirmed on Thursday. A total of 501 illegal Bangladeshis have been detained from different parts of the state so far as under the operation, it said.

“The message from Gujarat Police is clear: the only response to illegal infiltration is strict action,” Sanghavi, who handles the home portfolio, said in a post on X on Thursday.

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Talking to reporters on Wednesday, Sanghavi told reporters in Gandhinagar that the crackdown under ‘Operation Delta Hunt’ was meticulously planned and covered all parts of the state.

Apart from those detained after being verified as illegal migrants, investigation was being conducted into the background of over 6,200 individuals, he had said.

A dedicated police team was also conducting a probe against persons who provided accommodation to these migrants or hired them without mandatory police verification, according to Sanghavi.

Police teams worked tirelessly, employing a comprehensive strategy that utilised technical surveillance as well as human intelligence to find illegal migrants. A majority of illegal Bangladeshi nationals were engaged in manual labor with the highest concentrations found in Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara and Bharuch, he had said.