3 more Africans held in Dhaka for overstaying

The foreign nationals, who were detained for illegal staying in Bangladesh, produced before media at Rab-3 headquarters in Dhaka Tuesday. Photo: Rashed Suman

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) early today detained three African nationals from Moghbazar area of Dhaka city allegedly for overstaying in Bangladesh illegally.

The detainees were identified as Zordge Martin, 35, and David Kon, 44, of Nigeria and Jabir Khamis of Chand, our correspondent reports quoting Ashrafuzzaman, operation officer of Rab-3 and an assistant superintendent of police.

One Bangladeshi Partha Kumar Sarkar was also held for allowing the illegal foreign nationals as tenants in his house, Ashrafuzzaman said.

A team of Rab-3 raided a house at Nayatola around 4:00am and detained the trio as they could not produce their valid documents including passports and visas, said Mohiuddin Ahmed, deputy director of Rab-3 headquarters.

Earlier on November 14, detectives held 31 Africans on the same charges.

A section of 31 foreign nationals, who were arrested by the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police in the capital Friday on the charge of living in Bangladesh illegally. They were produced before the media at DB office. Photo: Star

This crackdown is part of the drive carried out by law enforcement agencies to catch foreign nationals overstaying in Bangladesh without legal papers.

Officials at the Special Branch of Police said around one lakh foreigners, mostly from African and South East Asian nations, are living in the country illegally for years.

Around 8,000 nationals of different African countries are involved in killing, mugging, smuggling, fake note manufacturing and running illegal VOIP business in the capital, said detectives.