335 Suspected Bangladeshis in Jharsuguda Held With Fake Indian Documents: Odisha Minister

Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Thursday revealed that 335 out of 444 individuals detained in Jharsuguda district on suspicion of being illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were found possessing fake Indian identity documents.

The revelation came after Pujari held a high-level meeting with senior officials, including the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Northern Division), Jharsuguda Collector, and the Inspector General of Police of the region. The meeting was convened to assess the situation following a large-scale verification drive.

Addressing the media, Pujari said, “We found that 335 of the 444 people held for verification on suspicion of being Bangladeshis were in possession of fake Indian documents. These include Aadhaar cards, voter ID cards, and other documents that identify them as residents of West Bengal.”

The minister asserted that the BJP-led government in Odisha is committed to safeguarding the state’s integrity and would not tolerate any attempt to turn it into a “shelter home” for illegal immigrants. He stressed the need for coordinated action to detect and deport foreign nationals living illegally in the state.

Sources in the administration indicated that the suspected individuals had been living in slum-like settlements and were engaged in various low-income jobs. Authorities are now verifying the authenticity of their documents and investigating how they acquired them.

The incident has raised serious concerns about the proliferation of forged identity papers and the growing presence of undocumented immigrants in border and industrial districts like Jharsuguda.

The Odisha government is expected to intensify the crackdown on suspected illegal immigrants and take up the matter with the Centre for further action, including deportation proceedings.

Further investigations are ongoing, and the state is likely to conduct similar verification drives in other vulnerable areas in the coming weeks.