Karnataka 911 Illegal Immigrants 365 Criminal Cases

The reply came in response to a question raised by Karnataka Legislative Council member H S Gopinath on August 20.

Among the 911 illegal immigrants identified, 868 were from Bangladesh, followed by Pakistan (20), Nigeria (13), Sri Lanka (8), Myanmar (1) and Uganda (1).

Kharge said the verification was carried out as part of an exercise to identify and verify foreign nationals residing in Karnataka, including those allegedly staying without valid documents or beyond the period permitted under their visas.

Of the 5,304 foreign nationals identified in Bengaluru city, 446 were found to be overstaying. The district-wise data on the number of illegal immigrants was not available in all cases.

The verification process used the District Police Module and Foreigners Identification Portal. Cases requiring further action were referred to the relevant authorities and immigration officials.

Of the 365 illegal immigrants with registered criminal cases, Nigerians accounted for the largest group with 135 cases, followed by Bangladeshis (48) and Nepalis (44).

The remaining cases involved nationals of Myanmar (20), Ivory Coast (13), Uganda (13), Ghana (11), Sudan (9), Ukraine (9), Iran (9), Kenya (8), Sri Lanka (7), Gambia (5), Ethiopia (5), Tanzania (4), the US (4), Cameroon (3) and Indonesia (3), among others.

Details of the individuals, including their nationality and the criminal cases registered against them, have been compiled as part of the verification exercise.

The data comes amid increased verification of foreign nationals in Karnataka, with authorities focusing on those suspected of overstaying their visas or residing in the state without valid documentation, as well as examining their involvement in criminal cases.