More Than 20 Suspected Bangladeshi Nationals Detained in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur
Late-night crackdown across coastal Odisha follows renewed alerts on unauthorised stay
Bhubaneswar: A coordinated late-night operation in Jagatsinghpur district on Tuesday led to the detention of more than 20 suspected Bangladeshi nationals, as police intensified verification drives across coastal settlements following repeated alerts about unauthorised stay.
The action, conducted in Tarikunda and Dariapur villages under Sadar police limits, is the latest in a series of crackdowns underway across Odisha. Senior officers, including the Additional Superintendent of Police, led the surprise operation shortly before midnight, supported by a full platoon force. The search focused on pockets identified through recent intelligence inputs.
Police teams moved through residential clusters and inspected a madrasa where several suspected foreign nationals were believed to be staying. Over 20 individuals were taken into custody for verification, while local inputs suggested that more than 10 others fled before the teams arrived. The district police have not issued a formal statement on the number of those who escaped.
In a separate exercise the same night, Basudevpur Police in neighbouring Bhadrak district detained eight additional suspects as part of heightened monitoring across coastal blocks.
Bhadrak SP Manoj Rout visited the local police station to oversee the verification process and reviewed identity documents produced by the detainees. Officers questioned the individuals about their place of origin, their local addresses and the nature of their work.
According to official district data, Basudevpur has historically reported the highest concentration of Bangladeshi nationals within Bhadrak, prompting periodic checks. Previous verification rounds had led to detentions in the area, and Tuesday’s operation followed renewed inputs about unauthorised movement in fishing and coastal hamlets.
The intensified policing comes a day after Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi told the Odisha Assembly that 49 Bangladeshi nationals had been repatriated following a statewide identification campaign launched after the formation of the current government. According to data presented in the House, 51 individuals have so far been identified as illegal residents across the State, including 24 in Khordha, 15 in Cuttack, six in Ganjam, three in Kandhamal and one in Koraput.
