Navi Mumbai cops say 506 foreign nationals, mostly Nigerians, resided illegally in city in past year

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In the last year, the Navi Mumbai police uncovered 506 foreign nationals, with 411 being Nigerians, residing illegally in their jurisdiction, as revealed by a senior official. These individuals were either in India without proper documentation or had overstayed their visas, PTI reported.

According to the report, the finds were uncovered during raids and searches carried out as part of the police's efforts to curb drug-related activity in the area, according to Navi Mumbai police chief Milind Bharambe. A considerable number of the 411 Nigerians were discovered to be involved in drug-related crimes.

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As part of their actions, the police have filed charges against landlords who have housed these "illegal foreigners" in their premises. According to the source, 483 foreigners who were found to be dwelling illegally in Navi Mumbai have received notices to leave the country, the report added.

Nearly a month ago, in an early morning operation on Wednesday, Crime Branch Unit 6 arrested five people accused of being illegal immigration agents who facilitated the entry of Bangladeshi immigrants. The operation began in Thane and followed the recent arrest of Abu Shahid Abdul Hamid Alimia, who was identified as a member of the same module during a Saturday night operation.

An official from Crime Branch Unit 6 stated that the operation was based on information obtained from anonymous informants. The arrested individuals were discovered to have fraudulent Aadhar cards, and an inquiry is underway to determine where these counterfeit credentials came from, an agency report added.

Masud Harun Sheikh, Bilal Harun Sheikh, Rafiq Abid Ali Sheikh alias Abdul Qadri Mandal, Raman Siqandar Sheikh, and Suman Momin Sheikh were arrested and brought to court on Wednesday. All five are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh's Jessore area who live in the Shantinagar Slums in Kalwa, Thane, the report added.

The agency report stated that DCP Raj Tilak Roushan from Detection 1 confirmed that nine people have been arrested in connection with this module. The charges include unlawful immigration, acting as an agent, and providing payments to traffickers in Bangladesh to aid cross-border immigration operations.

The investigation is broadening to include the possession of fake documents, as well as whether the arrested individuals were involved in the manufacture of counterfeit documents or just acted as agents in facilitating illegal border crossings. The authorities have discovered contacts between the accused individuals and Bangladesh, where illegal cash was transported from India, the report added.