Bengaluru Police Launch 'Operation Mukta', Detain 1,909 Suspected Illegal Immigrants; 15 Bangladeshis Identified

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Electronic City sub-division police have launched a major citywide crackdown against suspected illegal immigrants, with 15 Bangladeshi nationals identified during a large-scale verification drive in the Electronic City division.

The operation, code-named ‘Operation Mukta’, was carried out on Saturday as part of an ongoing exercise to identify foreign nationals allegedly residing in Bengaluru without valid documents.

1,909 People Detained For Verification In Electronic City

In the Electronic City division, police detained 1,909 people for verification and checked their identity and nationality documents. Of these, 15 were identified as Bangladeshi nationals following verification of passports, visas and other documents.

Fifteen cases were found in two police station areas: 8 in Begur, 7 in Parappana Agrahara. Police said the remaining 1,894 people were not confirmed as Bangladeshi nationals during the verification drive. The 15 identified Bangladeshi nationals have been taken into custody for further legal proceedings.

23 Teams, 295 Personnel Deployed

The Electronic City operation involved 23 special teams comprising 295 police personnel, who searched 29 identified locations, including construction sites, temporary shelters and other places suspected to have concentrations of foreign nationals.

The drive covered the jurisdictions of Electronic City, Begur, Parappana Agrahara, Bandeepalya, Hulimavu and Hebbagodi.

Police are preparing an official report for the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), after which further action will be taken according to the prescribed legal procedure.

Operation Expanded Across Bengaluru

The crackdown was not restricted to Electronic City. More than 30 locations in Bengaluru's Whitefield division were also searched, with police teams conducting simultaneous checks in Whitefield, Varthur, Kadugodi, Balagere Road, Bellandur, Marathahalli and Mahadevapura.

More than 500 police personnel were deployed in the Whitefield division alone. Around 40 people were taken into custody there for verification, with four identified as Bangladeshi nationals based on documents recovered from them.

Police teams also searched makeshift settlements and asked residents to produce citizenship and identity documents, including Aadhaar cards and voter IDs.

Nearly 1,000 Illegal Immigrants Detected In Three Months

Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge said the state government was conducting a continuous search for illegal immigrants and that nearly 1,000 people had been apprehended over the past three months.

Kharge stressed that the exercise was not limited to people from any particular country and said authorities were coordinating with the Border Security Force (BSF) and the FRRO. He also said the government would consider setting up a dedicated team if required to continuously monitor the issue.

“Operation Mukta” is therefore being treated as a continuing verification exercise rather than a one-off crackdown, with police expected to continue checking suspected foreign nationals and initiating deportation proceedings wherever illegal stay is established.

47 Bangladeshi Nationals Deported In A Year

According to police records cited in the reports, 47 Bangladeshi nationals were deported from the Electronic City division during the past year.

Between August 8, 2025 and August 8, 2026, authorities handled 64 cases involving Bangladeshi nationals. Of these, 47 resulted in deportation, while 17 cases were referred to the FRRO for further proceedings.

Police have also warned property owners against renting accommodation without verifying tenants’ credentials. Authorities said legal action could be taken against those facilitating accommodation for people found to be staying illegally.

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