Barely open, Dadar's detention centre is already bursting at the seams

Less than two months after Maharashtra operationalised its first detention centre for illegal foreign nationals in Dadarrsquos Bhoiwada area the facility is already facing a space crunch as crackdowns on undocumented immigrants intensify across Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region MMR The police say the centre meant to temporarily house foreign nationals awaiting deportation is nearing capacity amid a steady rise in detained Bangladeshi nationals and a smaller number of Pakistani nationalsThe detention centre became operational in March and was created to address a longstanding problem faced by police stations across Mumbai where foreign nationals awaiting deportation were often kept inside lockups station rooms or other makeshift spaces for weeks or months Officials say such detainees are not conventional criminal accused in many cases and cannot legally be housed indefinitely inside police lockupsPolice sources said that before the facility opened some detainees were allegedly asked to remain within police station jurisdiction limits and report regularly while deportation paperwork and nationality verification were processed The Bhoiwada centre was envisioned as a centralised holding facility where foreign nationals could stay until being deported or handed over to immigration authoritiesCapacity strain surfacesThe twostorey facility has around 40 rooms and can accommodate roughly 80 detainees But officials say the numbers have risen rapidly since it became operationalThe detention centre for illegal foreign nationals in Dadarrsquos Bhoiwada PicAishwarya IyerldquoWithin days of opening the facility housed dozens of Bangladeshi nationals With deportation procedures often taking weeks and months there is no new space being created for the ones waiting at the police stationrdquo a police source told middayOfficials say deportation delays remain one of the biggest bottlenecks Authorities must establish nationality coordinate with embassies and immigration agencies secure travel documentation and complete border handover procedures before deportation can take place Pakistani nationals involve an even more sensitive diplomatic and security process police saidBhoiwada detention centreOperational since March 2026Location Bhoiwada DadarStructure Twostorey facilityTotal rooms Around 40Capacity Roughly 80 detaineesPurpose Temporary stay for foreign nationals awaiting deportationWhy the centre was createdBefore the detention centre openedgtgt Foreign nationals were often kept inside police lockups or station premisesgtgt Police stations struggled with a lack of space during prolonged deportation processesgtgt Detainees awaiting verification were not always under judicial custodygtgt Some detainees were allegedly asked to stay within police station limits and report regularlyCrackdown across Mumbai and MMRPolice action against undocumented immigrants has intensified across Mumbai Thane and Navi Mumbai increasing pressure on the detention system Verification drives have been conducted ingtgt Slum pocketsgtgt Labour hubsgtgt Construction sitesgtgt Scrap marketsgtgt Rented accommodationsAccording to official figures Mumbai Police detained and deported more than 1000 Bangladeshi nationals in 2025 while several hundred more have already been detained this yearHow deportation worksThe deportation process involves coordination between multiple agencies includinggtgt Mumbai Police unitsgtgt State authoritiesgtgt FRROgtgt Ministry of Home Affairsgtgt Immigration authoritiesgtgt Border Security ForceWhy detention centres are different from lockupsAccording to senior police officials detention centres are designed for prolonged stay and includegtgt Sleeping and resting areasgtgt Kitchen and food arrangementsgtgt Sanitation infrastructureOfficials say these facilities are structurally more suitable than police lockups for housing detainees awaiting deportation