3 illegal Bangladeshi nationals posing as transgender held in Delhi

New Delhi: The Delhi Police has apprehended three illegal Bangladeshi nationals who were disguised as transgender persons to evade detection, an official said on Friday.

The arrests were made near Azadpur New Sabzi Mandi, he said.

Acting on a tip-off, the police team launched a targeted operation on May 8. The trio, all male Bangladeshi nationals, were found using fake transgender identities. They begged at traffic signals to blend into the urban crowd and avoid suspicion.

During the operation, four mobile phones were recovered which had a banned application that they used to contact their families in Bangladesh.

The accused have been identified as Md Maksuda (40), Abdul Hakkim (33) and Faiem Payal (21), all hailing from various districts in Bangladesh including Dhaka, Mymensingh and Narayanganj.

During interrogation, they revealed that they had illegally entered India through porous border routes with the help of agents and travelled to Delhi by train. They admitted to using physical alterations, including padded clothing, to appear feminine and deceive people.