The authorities have apprehended two Bangladeshi infiltrators, 38-year-old Zulekha Sheikh and 30-year-old Bilkis Begum, from Mumbai. Notably, the two were expelled from India last August, however, they unlawfully crossed the border again before beginning to stay in Mumbai. The Colaba police arrested Sheikh near the Gateway of India, and Begum was taken into custody in the Cuffe Parade area.
Zulekha was strolling close to the Gateway when she was nabbed on 5th January after the Anti-Terrorism Cell of the Colaba Police received information that a Bangladeshi woman was behaving suspiciously at the location. She identified herself as Zulekha Jamal Sheikh after the cops arrived there.
During the interrogation, she admitted to hailing from Jessore district of Bangladesh. Furthermore, she had been deported by the Agripada police in August; however, she returned illegally via the forests along the India-Bangladesh border and started to live on the pavements of Kamathipura.
The second arrest occurred in the Cuffe Parade locality, where Bilkis Begum was residing comfortably in a rented accommodation. She initially tried to deceive the police and provided vague responses, but the complete truth was revealed when they conducted a raid on her place. Her reality was also verified with the assistance of an informant.
Begum’s mobile phone had a Bangladeshi national identification card along with multiple related images. Additionally, she had been removed from India by the Mumbai Crime Branch in August, yet she managed to come back.
Neither of the two women possessed any valid paperwork including a passport, visa or any other travel documents. Hnece, they have been charged under the Foreigners Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Meanwhile, the police are currently investigating who assisted them in crossing the border, and whether there is a gang in Mumbai that is engaged in these illicit activities.
