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Kendrapara: Launching a crackdown on illegal immigrants, Read police Monday detained around 18 suspected Bangladeshi nationals, residing illegally at different locations of coastal Kendrapara district.

As part of the drive to identify foreign nationals infiltrating into the district, at least 18 individuals were found staying illegally in Rajendranarayanpur, Rangani, Kereragada and Gopalpur villages, said Bimal Kumar Mallick, the inspector-in-charge (IIC) of Talachua marine police station.

The detained persons failed to produce their identity proof in support of the claim that they are Indians. As they were well-versed in Bengali language, it is suspected that they are Bangla infiltrators, he said.

“As they failed to prove that they were Indians, they have now been kept in a detention centre in Kendrapara. The suspected Bangladesh nationals are being further interrogated,” the police inspector said.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, during his visit to Kendrapara June 9 had ordered the district administration and police to initiate steps for the identification of foreign nationals unlawfully residing in the area.

Majhi, who holds the Home portfolio, had told the Assembly in March last that 3,738 Bangladeshi infiltrators have been identified and they are illegally staying in the state.

The highest number of 1,649 Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrants was found in kendraparaparapara, followed by 1,112 in jagatsinghpur, 655 in malkangri, 199 in Bhadrak, 106 in Nabangpur and 17 in Bhunswar.