Illegal Rohingya caught with Indian passport

Hyderabad: With the Bharatiya Janata Party demanding the implementation of the National Register for Citizens (NRC) in Telangana, in the wake of increasing illegal migrants from foreign countries into Hyderabad, especially the Rohingyas from Mynamar, the intelligence agencies have intensified their efforts of identifying illegal immigrants living here.

Rough estimates put the number of illegal Rohingyas living in the limits of Hyderabad, Rachakonda and Cyberabad police commissionerate at over 5,000.

Recently, the Rachakonda police apprehended a Rohingya, who had entered the country illegally and obtained valid Indian identification, including a passport. The apprehended person was also found to be holding a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) card besides a passport and has been living in India for the last four years.

A few days ago, the Balapur police caught a person, Mohammed Yasim, 42, near the Royal Colony while moving around under suspicious circumstances.

The physical search and frisking by the cops found Yasim having several identification documents, including a driving license, and a voter ID card issued in his name in West Bengal. However, he confessed to the cops that he hailed from Myanmar. He was then taken into custody for the questioning.

Investigation by the police has revealed that Yasim, a native of Myanmar, entered the country illegally from Bangladesh. He first entered West Bengal from Myanmar through the waterway and then to India via the land route.

Yasim, who lived in Teknaf in Bangladesh for three months before entering India illegally, stayed in Kolkata for over 10 years running a hotel.

During his stay at Kolkata, he met a person, who arranged Indian identification cards, including a driving license, a bank account, a voter identification card, and an Indian passport in exchange of a commission fee.

Around five years ago, Yasim moved to Hyderabad and began living at a refugee camp in the Balapur limits, by obtaining a UNHCR card. After seizing his documents, the police registered a case against him under various sections of the IPC besides charging him for violations of the Indian Passport Act and the Foreigners Act.

When contacted, a police official from the Rachakonda commissionerate confirmed the incident, saying, “An illegal Rohingya immigrant from Myanmar was held with Indian identification cards. A case has been registered and the investigation is underway.”

Recently, the Bharatiya Janata Party raised a point on implementing the NRC in Telangana, like Assam, in order to identify illegal immigrants in the state in general, and Hyderabad in particular.

While police records say that over 5,000 Rohingyas were living in the state, the real numbers might be much higher than that, the BJP argues.