Pahalgam fallout: 1,024 Bangladesh illegals arrested in Gujarat

AHMEDABAD: In a massive crackdown against illegal Bangladeshi residents in Gujarat in the wake of the Pahalgam attack , police conducted a statewide operation Friday night that ended in the arrests of 890 illegals in Ahmedabad and 134 in Surat. Among those arrested, four were found to have links to criminal activities - two of them suspected to be operatives of al-Qaida sleeper cells . Gujarat DGP Vikas Sahay said these individuals were under thorough interrogation at the joint interrogation centre.

"This is our biggest operation against people living illegally in the state," junior home minister Harsh Sanghavi told reporters in Surat. He warned all illegal Bangladeshi residents to surrender voluntarily at police stations within two days or face strict action, adding that arrangements had been made "to complete procedures for their deportation at the earliest".

He said those arrested used fake documents obtained from West Bengal to stay in different parts of India before coming to Gujarat, adding that Bengal would be provided with proof of how the detainees got fake documents made in that state.