11 overstaying foreigners held in Bengaluru

In a joint operation by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) and the city police, 21 individuals, most of them from African countries, were arrested on Saturday for overstaying and other criminal offences.

Out of the 21, eleven were overstaying with expired visas and had no residential permits. Two had fake passports and one was booked under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. The others had warrants in criminal cases.

The raids started as early as 7.00 am in Kothanur with teams searching houses where the foreigners were staying in Byrathi village, Nagenahalli, Byrathi Bande, Hegde Nagar and Narayanapura.

Police had to break open doors as many refused to cooperate, locking up their doors, a senior police officer said. FIRs are being registered against 21 foreigners who will be produced in court, to decide on judicial custody, penalties for overstaying and other offences. The FRRO and the police will expedite the formalities for deportations.

“Africans come to the city on business, tourist and student visas. We have identified with the help of FRRO, those who are overstaying and those with criminal backgrounds,” said Kala Krishnaswamy, DCP, Northeast Division.

We collected details of their stay in Kothanur last week and conducted a raid on Saturday, she added.

Among the arrested, Kothanur police stumbled upon a Colombian gang. The gang was on a two-week tourist visa. Using a high-end car they committed burglaries in JP Nagar and Jayanagar, and made away with cash and valuables worth lakhs of rupees. Their foiled attempt to gain entry to a house in Jayanagar, captured on CCTV, led the police to them. There was a woman in the gang as well, a senior police officer said.