- India
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Six Nigerian nationals have been arrested from Vasai and Nallasopara areas allegedly staying in India without appropriate visa documentation, Palghar police said Wednesday. Five of the accused reportedly had no visa, while the sixth accused had overstayed after the expiry of his visa, police said.
The arrests, police said, were made Tuesday during a crackdown on “illegal immigrants”. Last week, Palghar collector had issued an order making it mandatory for landlords to inform police if they rented their property to a foreigner. “The decision was taken after the police communicated to the district administration about an increase in the number of illegal immigrants in Palghar,” a district official said.
On Monday night, police raided several societies in Tulinj. “Several Nigerian nationals are known to reside in the residential societies here. We checked everyone’s information and documentation,” an officer said.
“There were several cases in the past where foreign nationals, living without valid visa documentation, were found involved in various crimes. It becomes difficult for us to keep their record,” a senior officer said, adding that police was now looking for illegal immigrants in the area.
“We are going to conduct routine drives in the area. We are also working on community outreach programmes to raise awareness,” a senior officer said.