Bangladeshi national held for illegal stay in Kerala's Kollam

A Bangladeshi national has been arrested here for illegally staying in the country, police said on Sunday.

The accused identified as Parimal Das (21), illegally entered India through West Bengal.

During interrogation, it was revealed that the arrested obtained a fake Aadhaar card with the help of local agents using a false address. The agent, who helped him obtain the fake Aadhaar card, was also named as accused in the case, they said.

A case has been registered against Das under relevant sections of the Foreigners Act and for forgery.

The accused, currently on remand, will be taken into police custody for further interrogation to collect more information related to illegal immigrants here, said Kollam ACP S Shareef.

A detailed investigation is underway in the case.

Das was held during an inspection drive, ''Surakshitha Theeram”, carried out by the Kollam city police.

The drive has been launched to collect detailed information about migrant workers engaged in fishing and related activities along the coastal areas of the southern district, they said.

So far, the documents of nearly 1,300 migrant workers have been verified under this initiative, an official statement said here.

The objective of ''Surakshitha Theeram” is to create a comprehensive database of migrant workers by collecting details such as their residential address, place of employment, and employer information, which will be stored in a centralised system.

For verification purposes, Aadhaar authentication and biometric machines are being used. The project also helps in monitoring inter-state workers employed in fishing boats, strengthening coastal security, and identifying individuals with criminal backgrounds, it said.

In the wake of the Bangladeshi national's arrest, police have decided to intensify inspections in the coming days to detect more such illegal immigrants along the Kollam coast, the statement added.