Five Bangladeshi nationals suspected of residing illegally in Karnataka were arrested by Chikkamagaluru police during a verification drive in Banakal of Mudigere taluk. The operation was carried out following specific inputs from the Central Intelligence Department. During the search, police recovered Bangladeshi identity cards from all five individuals, who had been working as daily-wage laborers in coffee estates across the district.

According to Publicnext reports, the arrested persons have been identified as Jahangir, Faizuddin, Numan Basheer, Mahamad Humain, and Mahamad Haseebul. According to police, some of them had arrived in Chikkamagaluru alone, while others had come along with their families. They were reportedly taking up daily-wage work at coffee plantations and other locations whenever employment was available.

The arrests come amid growing concerns over illegal Bangladeshi immigrants who have been residing and working in coffee plantations, homestays, and resorts in the Chikkamagaluru district. Over the past two months, district police have intensified verification of migrant laborers from outside the district and state by collecting their records and photographs across various police station limits. The exercise ultimately led to the identification and detention of the five Bangladeshi Islamists.

Police have launched a detailed investigation to determine how the accused Islamists entered the district and the country, who facilitated their movement, their exact place of origin, the agents involved, and the network that arranged their employment. The detained Islamist men are currently being interrogated, and officials expect further leads as the investigation progresses.

This issue is not simple; the illegal Bangladeshi infiltration is ignored, which will create future security threats to the whole nation. The state Congress government in Karnataka is not taking this issue seriously. Islamists are being given shelters for the reason of the vote bank, and this is leading to a security concern in Karnataka. NIA should do this large-scale illegal Bangladeshi arrest drive to control further escalation.