Pahalgam Terror Attack: In a massive crackdown against illegal immigrants following the terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, over 500 illegal immigrants were detained in Gujarat. Besides Gujarat, authorities in Rajasthan also initiated the process of identifying and sending back Pakistani citizens currently residing in the state, and so far, at least 400 people have been expelled.
In Ahmedabad, over 400 and in Surat over 100 immigrants were detained in the crackdown hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah instructed Chief Ministers across the country to take immediate action in this regard to ensure the return of all Pakistani citizens present within its borders via the Attari border, which remains open for their return.
Speaking about the pre-dawn action from Friday night to Saturday morning, DCP, Crime Branch Ajit Rajian said, “This morning, starting from 3 am, the Ahmedabad Crime Branch, along with teams from the SOG, EOW, Zone 6, and Headquarters, organised a combing operation to apprehend foreign immigrants residing illegally in Ahmedabad city. During this operation, more than 400 suspicious immigrants have been detained”.
#WATCH | Ahmedabad, Gujarat: This morning, starting from 3 am, the Ahmedabad Crime Branch, along with teams from the SOG, EOW, Zone 6, and Headquarters, organised a combing operation to apprehend foreign immigrants residing illegally in Ahmedabad city. During this operation, more… pic.twitter.com/lYXvQiz0VV
— ANI (@ANI) April 26, 2025
Multiple police teams are currently interrogating those detained to ascertain how they acquired forged documents and how long they have been residing in the city undetected. The Ahmedabad Crime Branch, in collaboration with teams from the SOG, EOW, Zone 6, and Headquarters, launched a large-scale combing operation targeting illegal foreign immigrants in the city. The operation began at 3 am on Saturday and led to the detention of over 400 suspected illegal immigrants, mainly from Bangladesh.
Ahmedabad Crime Branch Joint Commissioner of Police (JCP) Sharad Singhal told IANS that the operation was based on specific Intelligence inputs from the Minister of State for Home Affairs and the Director General of Police (DGP) regarding illegal immigrants residing near Chandola in Ahmedabad. “As many as 457 infiltrators have been detained, interrogation of all is going on, all will be deported,” JCP Singhal confirmed.
He further stated that two FIRs had already been registered by the Crime Branch since April 2024, through which 127 Bangladeshi nationals had been d, and 77 of them had been deported, after which the police received inputs regarding more illegal immigrants living in the area. “Earlier, 127 Bangladeshi infiltrators were arrested by filing two FIRs, 70 have been deported, and the rest of the proceedings are underway,” he added.
The authorities revealed that all of those detained were found possessing fake Indian citizenship documents. “All of them have fake documents of Indian citizenship. On what basis and with whose help the documents were made, we will find out. They will be deported after investigation,” JCP Singhal said. He further added that the process of deportation would begin after the completion of the interrogation and legal formalities.
Meanwhile, in a parallel operation in Surat, city police carried out a widespread search across six different police station areas — Udhana, Katargam, Mahidharpura, Pandesara, Salabatpur, and Limbayat — where they detained over 100 Bangladeshi citizens. These individuals were reportedly living in the city for years, using fake documents and were engaged in various occupations.
Over 400 Pakistani Nationals In Rajasthan Face Expulsion
Rajasthan authorities have initiated the process of identifying and sending back Pakistani citizens currently residing in the state. This action comes after clear directives to this effect from the Central government. It has been reported that over 400 Pakistani nationals are staying in Rajasthan.
In response to the directives from Amit Shah, the Rajasthan Intelligence Department and the state police have been actively working to identify individuals who arrived from Pakistan on various visas. They are currently verifying records to ascertain who has already returned and who remains in the state.
The Intelligence Wing of the Police Headquarters has issued clear instructions to all District Superintendents of Police (SPs) and Intelligence officers to facilitate the return of all Pakistani citizens who entered India on tourist, religious, student, medical, or any other short-term visa.
IANS sources indicated that several Pakistani citizens have already left India following the increased scrutiny from both the central and state governments. Notably, Hindu and other minority refugees who have migrated from Pakistan to escape persecution will be exempt from this expulsion order.
(With agencies’ Inputs)
