Shanties in HSR Layout a haven for illegal migrants

Bengaluru: Following a tip off, the H.S.R. Layout police raided makeshift sheds and shanties in Iblur and Haralur and arrested 12 Bangladeshi migrants for not having any valid documents, early Thursday.

“These men had no valid documents on them like a passport or a voters ID to claim that they are Indian nationals. Two of them produced their documents and were released, but the others have been charged with illegal immigration and have been produced before the magistrate and remanded in judicial custody,” a senior police officer told Deccan Chronicle. We are also checking on their antecedents if they were involved in any antisocial activities, he added.

The police carried out the raids around 3 am and three vehicles were used to shift those detained. Nearly 45 men were detained by the police, according to women folk in the area.

“As the police reached the spot, men and women along with their children ran helter-skelter. While some managed to escape, the police rounded up close to 45 persons and filled them in their vehicles. The women and children managed to run into the nearby apartments where they worked, seeking shelter there,” said Indira Varadarajan, a resident of Ozone Evergreens Apartments.

“We have been working here since 2006 and until now we did not face any problems. The first time, the police came and rounded us up and took our men into custody was when the Lok Sabha election results were declared, and on Thursday was the second time,” said Mumtaz, a resident of Haralur labourer shed and wife of a detainee.

“A number of them have been released from the police station after they paid up. Those who argued were beaten up by the police,” she added.

“These are young people who have been earning a living in this city for years together and are sending money to their elder ones back home. If they are culprits, let the police take action legally, why detain them and release them after extorting money. And most importantly why are they treated like criminals,” said a resident of a nearby apartment.