A surprise raid conducted by the Q Branch police led to the arrest of 26 Bangladeshis, who were employed at a textile export unit located near Palladam in Tirupur district, for residing without valid documents. This is the second major action against illegal Bangladeshi workers in Tirupur this year.
It was informed by the authorities that the arrested persons were chargeable under the Foreigners Act of 1946. Of the 26 workers arrested, 20 had joined the unit around five months ago, while the remaining six had been working for over three years. In addition, the police had also seized fake identity documents from six persons arrested.
In January, 31 Bangladeshi nationals were arrested during a joint operation between police in the jurisdiction and the Coimbatore Anti-Terrorist Squad. 28 of those arrested were in Palladam, while the remaining were together in the Veerapandi and Nallur areas.
Police sources suggested that more arrests may come as part of ongoing investigations, which, according to police, indicated that an even larger network of illegal workers may exist in the district’s textile industry — a major export market for garments in Tamil Nadu.
