Illegal Bangladeshi migrant disguised as monk tries to enter Sri Lanka, arrested in Kochi

A Bangladeshi national who stayed in India by disguising himself as a Buddhist monk and then tried to enter Sri Lanka using a fake passport was on Tuesday (July 18) caught at the Kochi International Airport. The man identified as Abur Barwa (22), a native of Bangladesh, was caught by the immigration department after they found his credentials suspicious.

Barwa was interrogated by the immigration officials who found the passport to be fake. Initial reports from agencies state that Barwa had settled in Karnataka a year ago under disguise at an ashram. During the stay, he managed to create a fake passport in his name claiming himself as a resident of Karnataka.

Later, he was handed over to the district crime branch. Barwa will be produced before the magistrate on Wednesday (July 19) after a medical examination.

Bangladesh Illegal Immigrants, a set pattern?

In November 2022, the union government had issued an alert on the increasing presence of Bangladesh nationals in India. The union government had directed DGPs of states to track and tackle illegal immigration. A well-connected network of locals and agents was learned to be facilitating such illegal activities and obtaining original documents including Aadhaar. Using these credentials, many secure employment and even migrate to other countries.

Burwa’s case is identical to the advisory issued. The advisory had stated a lot of these activities are focused on Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.

In another incident in November 2022, Muhammad Simbath Chaudary, a 26-year-old Bangladeshi national was caught in Kochi. The probe had identified that Muhammed was part of the illegal immigrants who were apprehended in August 2022.

He had managed to evade arrest. An Indian national by the name of Dasharath (aka Shine) who was the facilitator for illegal migration was also arrested in August along with two other Bangladeshis, including a woman.