Jharsuguda, July 8: A total of 444 suspected Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants have been detained in Odisha’s Jharsuguda district as part of a large-scale operation targeting illegal settlers, police said on Tuesday.
The individuals, identified during a coordinated crackdown that began late Monday night, have been moved to designated holding centres for verification of their identities and documents.
Inspector General of Police (Northern Range), Himansu Kumar Lal, informed the media that verification is currently underway, and further action will be taken based on the findings.
According to preliminary reports, the majority of those detained are men employed in local industries, mines, or working as masons and house painters.
Jharsuguda Superintendent of Police (SP), Smit Parmar, stated that the operation was carried out under directives from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which had formed a Special Task Force (STF) specifically for identifying and verifying illegal immigrants.
Acting on the STF's instructions, police conducted a district-wide drive covering multiple police station jurisdictions. As a result, 444 individuals were moved to two temporary holding centres for document verification.
