Maharashtra Police move proposal seeking detention facility for overstaying foreigners: officials

The police department has moved a proposal with the Maharashtra government for setting up a detention facility for foreigners overstaying in the state officials said on SaturdayMost of the foreign nationals who stayed back in India after the expiry of their visas are from poor countries in the African continent and also from neighbouring Bangladesh Many of them are involved in drug trafficking syndicates and other criminal activities an official saidThis is the second time that the police are pursuing the proposal for a detention centre for such people he saidEarlier a detention centre was proposed in Navi Mumbai but the plan didnt materialiseThis issue was discussed at the government level three years ago when the protests regarding the Citizenship Amendment Act CAA and the National Register of Citizens NRC were onAlso Read Maharashtra Punes Yerwada Central Prison inmates prepare ecofriendly idols of Lord GaneshNow with the new proposal for setting up a detention centre the police have identified the location and are waiting for the governments final nod for approving the facility he saidThe senior official however refused to disclose the location of such a facilityThe detention facility will be created considering the human rights of the foreign nationals and the government will provide all the basic facilities like accommodation food medical treatment etc he saidThe official said the new detention facility in Maharashtra will be on the lines of a Delhibased centre for illegal foreign nationalsMany times foreign nationals from some countries come to the financial capital on tourist student medical and business visas However most of them get involved in drug syndicates and cyber frauds in the guise of doing business the senior police official told PTIMore than 7000 Africans mostly from Nigeria are currently roaming in Mumbai and other cities without proper documents he saidMany of them are staying in parts of Mumbai Navi Mumbai Mira Road and Vasai in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region MMR and also in other parts of the stateIn the Mumbai region Africans are mostly found involved in organised drug syndicates and cyber frauds he said adding that as many Nigerians living in Mumbai are found involved in online cheating these cases are often termed as Nigerian fraudsAlso Read Maharashtra CM Eknath Shindes convoy stuck in traffic after truck vehicle break down block road in PuneRecently the Narcotics Control Bureau NCB and the AntiNarcotics Cell of Mumbai Police busted a multicrore synthetic drug syndicate Many of the arrested persons are NigeriansThey have formed small gangs and run their syndicates of drug trafficking the official explained Many foreign nationals who come to India for genuine work complete their work and return he saidMany times African nationals who come in the guise of doing business or as tourists tear their passports visas and citizenshiprelated documents after landing in Mumbai which makes it difficult for law enforcers to establish their identity the official saidIt is a lengthy process to contact authorities in other countries and provide details of the person concerned to find out his antecedents he saidThe process of repatriation of illegal migrants takes time If a foreign national is found involved in a criminal case he is deported once hisher jail term is over as per the legal process the official saidIf such foreigners are not detained there is a possibility that they may fall into criminal activities again due to which police restrict their movement with requisite ordersThe detention facility will be created for such foreign nationals for their stay between the period of completion of the term and the scheduled deportation dateOn average 400 people from different countries staying in Mumbai and Maharashtra without valid documents are deported or repatriated every year as per the Foreigners Regional Registration Office FRRO he saidThe number of African and Bangladeshi nationals is higher in the deportations he saidMany times police face difficulties if an African is in their custody Given the delay by their countries in accepting them back the burden of expenses for their accommodation food and clothes falls on local police the official saidSometimes to avoid deportation these illegal migrants commit crimes like assaulting policemen or other people due to which a new case is registered and their stay automatically gets extended in view of the time needed to complete the legal process of the new crime he saidThe official said these foreign nationals also use another modus operandi to marry Indian women which enables them to avail of the benefit of the spouse of an Indian nationalSometimes the marriage is just a formality to save themselves from the law enforcement agencies he addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday 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