‘576 Bangladeshi immigrants held this year’

MUMBAI Police have arrested 576 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and externed 147 from city limits in the first two months of the year, home minister R R Patil recently told the Legislative Council.

He was replying to a query raised by BJP MLC Ashish Shelar who asked if Bangladeshi migrants in the city were illegally acquiring PAN card and Aadhaar card.

Patil who had earlier said builders employing Bangladeshi immigrants as labourers will be penalised, Thursday said establishments employing Bangladeshis migrants will have their licences cancelled.

In 2009, the Mumbai Police's Special Branch arrested 1,870 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, and 1,061 were externed. In 2010, 2011 and 2012, 1,458 were arrested and 892 externed, 1,560 arrested and 342 externed, and 2,234 were arrested and 569 were externed respectively.

"It is true that illegal Bangladeshi migrants have been acquiring Aadhaar, PAN and ration cards. We are examining the states from where they are obtaining documents such as the sarpanch's certificate. Officials who have overlooked irregularities and given them the final permit will be booked," Patil said, adding these migrants are mostly employed in the construction and hotel industry.

Four men rob courier office, flee with Rs 50 lakh

FOUR unidentified men allegedly stormed into a courier office in Masjid Bunder and stole Rs 50 lakh at gunpoint, police said. The men then allegedly sped away on motorbikes. According to the police, at 2 pm on Saturday, one of the men entered the office of the complainant, Shrikant Raut (47), an employee in the courier office.

"Two other colleagues of Raut were present in the office when the first accused entered posing as a customer. Two of his accomplices followed him and pulled out a chopper and pistol.

The fourth man shut the door behind him and threatened to kill Raut and his colleagues if they did not hand over the money," Sub-Inspector Vishal Aarotkar said. He added the accused forced Raut to open the drawer and took Rs 50 lakh. The accused allegedly sealed the mouths and tied the hands of Raut and his colleagues with cellotape, took their cellphones of all the three men and fled. "The whole operation did not last for more than 10 minutes. Theguard told us that he saw the accused flee on the two motorbikes they had parked some distance away," he said. Raut managed to free himself from the cellotape and alert the police. A complaint has been registered against unidentified individuals under Sections 34 (common intention), 341 (wrongful restraint), 397 (theft) and 452 (house-trespass) of the IPC and 25 (possessing an unlicensed firearm) of the Indian Arms Act, 1959.

ALSO READ

Dehradun Express fire: Nine charred to death; Railways orders inquiry