KOCHI: Twenty-seven Bangladeshi nationals who were illegally staying and working near Kochi have been arrested, police said on Friday.
They were arrested in a joint operation carried out by Ernakulam rural police and the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) in the North Paravur area in the Ernakulam district, police 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.
According to the police, they had crossed the border from West Bengal, where they obtained Aadhaar cards and other documents through agents before arriving in Kochi.
They were employed in various sectors, with some staying in labour camps. Their activities are under further investigation, police sources said.
A senior police officer said more details could not be disclosed at this stage, noting that this might be the largest arrest of Bangladeshi nationals in the country within a month.
With these arrests, the number of Bangladeshis detained in the Ernakulam rural district police limits this month has risen to 34, police added.
Following the arrests, police have decided to expand their investigation to West Bengal to track down agents involved in illegal border crossings and the issuance of fake IDs and Aadhaar cards.