Bangladeshi Criminal Deported After Serving 14-year Jail Term In Odisha
According to police records, Khan had illegally entered India in 2002 without a valid passport or visa, claiming he had come in search of work as a labourer. Investigators, however, alleged that he later became involved in a series of criminal activities in Balasore district
Bhubaneswar: A Bangladeshi national with a long criminal record was deported to Bangladesh late on Wednesday after completing a 14-year prison sentence in Odisha's Balasore district, police sources said on Thursday.
The deportee, identified as Mohammad Babu Khan, was escorted by Balasore Police to the Benapole–Petrapole integrated check post along the India-Bangladesh border, where he was formally handed over to the Bangladeshi authorities after completion of all legal and diplomatic formalities.
According to police records, Khan had illegally entered India in 2002 without a valid passport or visa, claiming he had come in search of work as a labourer. Investigators, however, alleged that he later became involved in a series of criminal activities in Balasore district.
Police said Khan was named in nine criminal cases registered at Town, Basta, Sadar, Industrial Area and Remuna police stations. He was arrested on May 27, 2007, on charges related to illegal stay as a foreign national and other criminal offences. He subsequently served a 14-year prison term in Balasore District Jail.
After the completion of his sentence, the deportation process was initiated following clearance from the competent authorities in Odisha and verification through the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata.
Police escorted Khan from Balasore to the international border on July 8, and he was handed over to Bangladeshi authorities at the Benapole–Petrapole border crossing later that night.
Officials said the deportation was carried out strictly in accordance with legal procedures after the completion of his sentence and the necessary diplomatic clearances. Local police officials, however, declined to comment on the operation.
The deportation comes amid an ongoing statewide drive by Odisha Police to identify foreign nationals allegedly residing illegally in the state. The verification exercise has been underway since November last year.
In one such operation, Jagatsinghpur Police had raided the Beherampur slum near Tarikunda under Sadar police limits, detaining four suspected Bangladeshi nationals and recovering a cache of weapons.
Police had seized a country-made revolver, machetes, cutters and other sharp-edged weapons from a rented house allegedly occupied illegally for the past four years.
The prime accused in the case, identified as Sikandar Alam alias Siku, allegedly fled moments before the raid and remains absconding. Police had deployed three platoons of force during the operation, breaking open locked structures and conducting extensive searches across the settlement.
