17 Bangladeshi women held in Ahmedabad for illegal stay

In a late-night operation, the Ahmedabad City Police on October 30 detained 17 women, including a seven-year-old girl, suspected to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

The detainees, aged between 21 and 49, were taken into custody by the Sola police and transferred to the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) in Sardarnagar for questioning by multiple agencies.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) H M Kansagra said the women had entered Gujarat at different times — some as recently as 10 days ago, others up to four years back. “We have also booked a few landlords for failing to notify the police about their tenants, as required by law,” he added.

According to Sola Police Inspector K N Bhukan, all the detainees are women who reportedly came to India alone. “Some have families still in Bangladesh, while others were abandoned by their husbands. We are investigating whether local agents helped them cross into India,” Bhukan said, adding that most of the trafficking networks appear to operate from the Bangladesh side of the border.

Officials said the women would undergo detailed questioning at the JIC before being handed over to immigration authorities for deportation proceedings.