COIMBATORE: Police have arrested 103 Bangladesh nationals for illegal stay and employment across eight districts in the Coimbatore West Zone, Inspector General of Police Saravana Sundar said on Monday, adding that those detained are being lodged in a special camp in Salem before deportation.
Of the total arrests, 35 were made in 2024, with the number rising this year following intensified checks, the IG said. The West Zone comprises key industrial districts including Coimbatore, Tirupur and Erode.
The arrests include 11 persons held in a recent joint operation by the police and Q Branch near Annur in Coimbatore district, 13 in Tirupur and four in Erode. Searches have been stepped up across the zone based on intelligence inputs and alerts from agencies such as the Q Branch and the Anti-Terrorism Squad.
Investigations revealed that several of those arrested had entered India illegally, posed as natives of West Bengal and secured jobs in textile, engineering and other manufacturing units using forged identity documents, including Aadhaar cards. Some had relied on fake agents operating in West Bengal, who allegedly facilitated illegal immigration and arranged employment for commission.
The IG said lax verification of identity documents by certain industrial units had enabled illegal stay.