UP: 28 children among 90 Bangladeshi nationals held in Mathura, probe underway

Around 90 Bangladeshi nationals were found during the checking of kilns in Khajpur village of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, police said Friday. "All of them have been taken into custody and are being questioned," they said.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mathura Shlok Kumar told the news agency ANI on Friday that 35 of the 90 Bangladeshi nationals were men, 27 were women, and 28 were children.

According to Shlok Kumar, the inspection was part of a drive to verify the identity and legality of labourers working in the rural part of the district.

He said, “They said they reached Mathura three-four months ago; before that, they were living in a nearby state. Detailed interrogation is being done. Other agencies have also been informed about this. They are also questioning them.”

Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh government had launched an intensified drive to track down and deport Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators residing in the state.

The officials said that action had already been taken against Pakistani nationals residing illegally, and now a similar focus is being directed towards Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants.

Authorities have observed many of these individuals live under changed identities in several state districts.

Instructions have been dispatched to District Magistrates, Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs), and Police Commissioners across all districts to expedite the identification process.

Simultaneously, operations are underway against unauthorised and illegal structures along the India-Nepal border.

According to a CMO statement, Uttar Pradesh had become the first state in the country where 100 per cent of Pakistani citizens had been sent back. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath himself oversees the return of Pakistani citizens to their country.

Notably, similar actions have been underway in several states nationwide in the past couple of days.

(With inputs from news agency ANI)