Delhi intensifies migrant crackdown, 770 illegal entrants deported to Bangladesh this year

In a sweeping, high-stakes crackdown following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 dead, Delhi Police — under directives from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) — has deported at least 770 illegal migrants to Bangladesh over the last six months, with more than 500 sent back in the past month alone.

The deportation drive, intensifying rapidly after the Pahalgam incident, has seen an unprecedented scale of operations. In a matter of weeks, Delhi Police identified 470 individuals as illegal Bangladeshi migrants and another 50 as foreign nationals who had overstayed their visas. All were flown out of Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad aboard special aircraft to Agartala in Tripura, and subsequently deported to Bangladesh via land borders.

This intensified action follows a directive from the Union Home Ministry last year, instructing law enforcement agencies to verify and detain illegal Bangladeshi migrants and Rohingya in the capital. Between mid-November 2024 and April 20, 2025, prior to the terror attack, police had already apprehended about 250 such individuals — 220 identified as illegal migrants and 30 as overstaying foreigners.

“After Pahalgam, the urgency escalated,” a senior Delhi Police officer confirmed. “Over the last month alone, 3-4 special flights were arranged solely for deportation operations.”

Initially, Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) across all 15 Delhi districts were tasked with verification exercises. Detainees were transported via train and road to West Bengal, then handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) for final deportation. Later, air transfers from Hindon to Agartala were added to accelerate the process.

The operations were supported by personnel from Delhi Police’s first battalion and Foreigners’ Regional Registration Office (FRRO), who coordinated logistics across states. Temporary holding centres — five in total—were set up to house migrants awaiting deportation.

The crackdown comes in the wake of the BJP's rise to power in Delhi, after which Union Home Minister Amit Shah reportedly instructed agencies to “dismantle the conspiracy” behind illegal migration. Police were directed not only to detain undocumented migrants but also to expose the networks facilitating their entry, settlement, and assimilation.

According to sources, multiple FIRs have been filed across district police stations, the Crime Branch, and the Special Cell. Investigations are focused on tracking down handlers who provided fake identity documents, address proofs, jobs, and shelter to the illegal migrants.