15 Bangladeshis among 1,900 illegal immigrants detained under Bengaluru's Op Mukta

Bengaluru City Police on Saturday carried out a large-scale crackdown on suspected illegal immigrants in the Electronic City division, detaining 1,909 people for verification and identifying 15 as Bangladeshi nationals. The operation, conducted across six police station limits, marked one of the biggest recent verification drives in the city amid heightened scrutiny of undocumented foreign nationals.The special drive involved 23 police teams and 295 personnel and covered the jurisdictions of Electronic City, Begur, Parappana Agrahara, Bandeepalya, Hulimavu and Hebbagodi.Police searched 29 locations that had been flagged for a concentration of suspected foreign nationals.Of the 1,909 people checked, authorities said 1,894 were not confirmed as Bangladeshi nationals, while 15 were identified as Bangladeshi nationals after verification. Begur reported the highest number, with eight such cases, followed by Parappana Agrahara with seven. No Bangladeshi nationals were confirmed in Electronic City, Bandeepalya, Hulimavu or Hebbagodi during the drive.Station-wise, Electronic City police detained 550 people, Parappana Agrahara 355, Begur 339, Bandeepalya 244, Hulimavu 219 and Hebbagodi 202. Officials said the identities and documents of all detainees were checked and that further legal action would be taken wherever required. Police records showed that 47 Bangladeshi nationals were deported from the Electronic City division during the past year.According to the Bangladeshi Deportation/FRC report for the period from August 8, 2025, to August 8, 2026, authorities handled 64 cases involving Bangladeshi nationals. Of these, 47 ended in deportation, while 17 were referred to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for further proceedings.BENGALURU'S 'OPERATION MUKTA'The latest drive formed part of a broader city-wide operation named ‘Operation Mukta’, launched to identify suspected illegal immigrants residing in Bengaluru.Searches were carried out at more than 30 locations in the Whitefield division and several places in the Electronic City area.Whitefield Deputy Commissioner of Police Saidulla Adavath said the exercise was being conducted on the directions of the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner and involved more than 500 personnel in Whitefield alone."As per the directions of the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner, a special drive is being conducted across the city. In the Whitefield Division alone, more than 500 staff and officers are involved in the exercise. This is actually a continuous and regular exercise," news agency PTI quoted him as saying.Police said verification was being conducted across all police station limits in Whitefield. "If we find anyone suspicious, we will verify their documents and check their background," Adavath said.Searches were conducted in Whitefield, Varthur, Kadugodi, Balagere Road, Bellandur, Marathahalli, Mahadevapura and parts of Electronic City, including Hebbagodi.Around 40 people were taken into custody for verification in the Whitefield division, and four were identified as Bangladeshi nationals based on documents recovered from them, police sources said.The searches also covered makeshift settlements where residents were asked to produce identity and citizenship documents, including Aadhaar cards and voter IDs.Police said Indian citizens would be allowed to stay after verification, while foreign nationals found to be residing illegally would be produced before the FRRO for further action.Authorities are also examining the role of landowners and others allegedly renting out sheds to migrant workers.'NO COMPROMISE WITH ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION'Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge said the government was conducting a "strict and serious search and verification" and stressed that there would be "absolutely no compromise" in dealing with illegal immigration.He said nearly 1,000 people had been apprehended in the past three months and urged citizens to share information with the police instead of engaging in vigilantism or "social media activism".Police said verification and deportation proceedings would continue in coordination with the FRRO and other agencies.The crackdown is expected to be followed by further investigations into the networks that facilitate the entry, documentation, accommodation and employment of foreign nationals residing illegally in Bengaluru.- EndsWith PTI inputsPublished On: Aug 8, 2026 18:27 IST