Gurgaon: Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has detained 14 Bangladeshi nationals, including two minors, for allegedly staying in the city without valid documents, police said on Saturday.The detention followed a joint operation with Special Operations Groups (SOG) of Nuh and Rohtak, based on specific intelligence inputs about foreign nationals suspected of living in the country without valid travel documents or legal authorisation. All 14 were picked up from separate locations across the city and shifted to the detention centre in Manesar.The operation was supervised by ATS superintendent of police Varun Singla. A joint team of personnel from ATS Gurgaon, SOG Nuh, SOG Rohtak and other ATS units verified the identities and documents of suspected individuals. Police said the 14 had identity cards and other documents linked to Bangladesh, but no valid passports, visas or other mandatory authorisation to stay in India. Some had been living in the city since 2007, while a few had arrived recently but were traced by ATS teams during the investigation.The detainees have been identified as Mohammad Lutfur Rahman (17), Mohammad Raju Mian (20), Sakib Hussain (18), Mohammad Tarek ul Islam (17), Ilyas Ali (18), Mohammad Feruz Islam (19), Mohammad Anarul Haque (30), Sakib Rana (19), Ghulam Rabbani (23), Mohammad Jewel Rana (20), Anwar Hussain (37), Ariful alias Alauddin (22), Mohammad Masud Rana (27) and Raju Alam (28). Police said they belong to different regions of Bangladesh.The process to send them back will now be initiated, an ATS officer said. “For now, the detainees will remain at the Manesar detention centre. They will eventually be handed over to the BSF, which will send them back to their country. Our campaign against illegal foreign nationals will continue in the interest of the safety of our country and its people,” the officer said.All 14 were engaged in daily-wage work, several of them at construction sites and the rest in other labour-related jobs. Police are now looking into how they found employment in the city and who facilitated their recruitment. Investigators plan to crack down on contractors who allegedly hired them without mandatory police verification, and officers are likely to examine employment arrangements at construction sites and other workplaces where the detainees worked.Officials said the verification drive against illegal foreign nationals will continue, with teams focusing on areas where migrant labourers, including construction workers and daily wagers, are employed or live.This is the second major action against Bangladeshi nationals allegedly staying illegally in the city this year. In June, the Crime Branch Sector 39 team detained 13 Bangladeshi nationals during a special verification drive, based on specific intelligence inputs. All 13 were sent back to Bangladesh after legal proceedings.
