Bangla illegal immigrants shift gears

Police fear there could be around 500 Bangladeshis staying in the city, particularly in red-light areas, sans any valid documents; The accused have changed their profession from contract labourers to masseurs to evade arrest

Driven away from construction sites, Bangladeshi migrants have found a safe haven in massage parlours dotting the forbidden alleys of red-light areas in the city. After a crackdown on construction sites and strict action against labour contractors by the city police, the illegal migrants are quietly changing their traditional profession -- of contract labourers -- and turning into masseurs to evade arrest.

Arrested: (Left to right) Mohammad Hussain Mulla, Tufan Mulla and
Mohammad Islam hail from Dhaka. Pic/Kaumudi Gurjar

On Wednesday evening, the Special Branch officials arrested six such Bangladeshi nationals, including three women, who had entered India without valid passport and visa. According to police sources, around 500 Bangladeshi illegal migrants are staying in the city. They have started small businesses such as massage parlours, particularly in the red-light areas, to evade police action.

Raid at Ganesh Peth
Police Inspector Raghunath Jadhav, in-charge of the Special Cell, raided the area in front of Sagar hotel near Alpana Talkies in Ganesh Peth around 5.50pm on Wednesday and arrested six illegal immigrants. They have been identified as Mohammad Manirul Islam, Mohammad Alamgir Hussain Mulla, Tufan Jaynul Mulla, Rukhsana Begam, Reshma Begam and Murshida Begam, all hailing from Nudail district in Dhaka.

They were presented before the Shivajinagar court and remanded into police custody for two days.
Inspector Jadhav said, "The six suspects were arrested after the Special Cell got a tip off about their presence in Ganesh Peth. They were staying in the city as married couples for the last four months without any valid documents, passport and visa. They can speak Hindi and Bengali."

Change in strategy
"To avoid police verification, the immigrants used to hide during the day time and ventured out only at night. They were running the massage parlours in Budhwar Peth - the red-light area -- and other market areas where their potential clients were small-time businessmen," said Jadhav.

ID seized
Identity cards establishing the Bangladeshi nationality of the six suspects have been recovered from their possession. The Bangladesh Embassy officials have been informed about the arrested suspects. The semi-literate immigrants claim that due to poverty in Bangladesh they had slipped into Indian borders in search of a job.