Durg Police Analyse Data on 32,000 People in Drive to Identify Illegal Foreign Nationals

Durg Police have stepped up efforts to find foreign nationals believed to be living in the district illegally. The Special Task Force (STF) is analysing scanned data on about 32,000 people, and more than 250 individuals have been shortlisted for further verification.

An STF team has gone to several parts of West Bengal, mainly border districts and places linked to the shortlisted people. The areas named are Medinipur, South 24 Parganas and Murshidabad, among others.

Police have said that no conclusions will be drawn from the preliminary data alone and that detailed analysis is still under way. The identity and nationality of everyone on the list will be verified, and legal action will be taken only where it is required. Being shortlisted is not evidence of any wrongdoing.

Police earlier deported a Bangladeshi national who was found living illegally in the district. They say surveillance and verification will continue.

Residents have been asked to report suspicious activity, or any information about illegal foreign nationals, to the police helpline 1800-233-1905.

Such verification drives depend on accurate records, and officials usually stress that genuine residents have nothing to fear if their documents are in order. The result of the verification will show how many of the shortlisted people, if any, are found to be in the country illegally.

Verification of identity documents is a routine part of such drives, and being shortlisted does not by itself mean a person is a foreign national. Police have said the process is meant to check records, and the outcome will depend on the documents produced. Residents with genuine documents have no cause for concern, though they may be asked to present them.