683 illegal foreigners in Karnataka, 260 with expired visa

The number of “illegal” foreigners living in Karnataka is over twice as many as those whose visa has expired, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra has told the Legislative Assembly.

According to written replies tabled by Jnanendra in the Assembly, Karnataka has 683 “illegal” foreigners. However, foreigners with an expired visa living in Karnataka are just 260.

This either suggests India’s porous borders or poor data keeping on the part of the state government.

Of the 683 “illegal” foreigners or immigrants, only 53 have been identified as Bangladeshi nationals, Jnanendra said. A majority of these 683 foreigners are in Bengaluru (619). A total of 112 cases for various offences have been lodged against them.

Jnanendra said the government had filed 88 cases against foreigners whose visa has expired since 2019. Also, 103 such foreigners have been deported. Some are kept in a detention centre as directed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

“To control the illegal stay of immigrants, a Special Task Force (SPF) has been constituted in every city and district. Personnel belonging to the SPF and the police are constantly working to identify illegal immigrants,” Jnanendra said, adding that lookout circulars are issued against immigrants who are on the run.

The presence of foreigners is also linked with the drugs business, Jnanendra’s written replies suggest. In this connection, police stations have been asked to track information on foreigners and “special operations are conducted to take strict action against those who are indulging in [drugs]”.

Ganja haul

The number of ganja addicts has risen since 2019, according to government data. Authorities arrested 1,217 ganja addicts in 2019, which rose to 2,943 in 2020 and 3,255 till August this year.

The government arrested 2,526 ganja sellers last year and 1,758 so far this year.

Of all the cases booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act last year, 2,751 are before the court and this figure is 2,065 this year.

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