Raid exposes illegal stay of foreigners in Karnataka; 341 passports seized

[email protected] (News Network)
April 10, 2017

Bengaluru, Apr 10: As many as 175 of the 341 passports belonging to various African nationals and visa documents issued by India, which were seized by the Central Crime Branch during a recent raid on an electronics shop in Banaswadi, are invalid. They had not been renewed before the date of expiry.

ccb raid

The travel documents were seized from the shop of Muniraju (45) on HRBR Road. They belong to African nationals, mostly students, from Namibia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Ivory Coast and Nigeria. Around 50% of the passports belong to citizens from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said the police. In all, police found 341 passports, 83 residential permits, 93 laptops, 155 mobile phones, four two-wheelers and seven four-wheelers.

“It appears that Muniraju had taken them as collateral for lending money,” said a senior police officer investigating the case. “This means about 175 African nationals are overstaying in the country. However, since we do not have a proper database of the students, we have asked the deputy commissioners in Bengaluru to identity and track the owners of the passports,” added the officer.

The police will also be writing to the respective embassies seeking information about the passports-holders.

“Deporting them alone will not solve the problem. We need to find out the reasons for them overstaying,” said a senior police officer.

The All Africa Students’ Association Bengaluru is helping the police in identifying the passport-holders.

But, even as the police are cracking down on African students overstaying in the city, the Association will be petitioning the State and central governments seeking a probe into the reasons for students overstaying in the country, especially Bengaluru.

“Multiple factors contribute to this, starting with cheating by agents back in the student’s home town in Africa,” explained Bosco Kaweesi, legal adviser, All Africa Students’ Association Bengaluru.

According to him, the agents take money from parents and provide their children with a provisional admission certificate. “But upon reaching the respective Indian college, the management claims that the agent has not sent them the money and his/her passport is withheld by the educational institution,” he explained.

Besides, upon reaching the college, some students are asked to pay double the fees than what is told to them by the agent in their home town.

According to another member of the association, “There have been instances where the students have been asked to pay $10,000 to pursue a course for a degree in commerce. A student, whose parents would have taken a loan to send him to India, is scared to go back and thus overstays.”

Sometimes, colleges don’t issue a bonafide certificate for visa extension unless the student pays the fee for the subsequent year.

“In some cases, landlords retain the passport of students,” Mr. Kaweesi said. “The issue of overstaying will not end unless the government conducts a detailed probe into such issues,” he said.

Karnataka Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayareddy has promised to look into the issue.

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News Network
March 27,2024

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Hassan: Former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda has announced that his son, former Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy will contest from state's Mandya parliamentary seat as NDA candidate.

Deve Gowda told reporters on Tuesday that the decision to field Kumaraswamy, who is also JD(S) state president, in Lok Sabha polls from the Mandya seat was taken amid mounting public demand. "People are demanding that Kumaraswamy should contest from Mandya. In the core committee meeting as well, all members suggested that he should contest from Mandya," Deve Gowda said.

The former Chief Minister's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy had lost to independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh from Mandya in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The JD(S) supremo further said that the name of senior leader Mallesh Babu has been finalised from the Kolar seat.

Deve Gowda's grandson and former Karnataka Minister H. D. Revanna's son sitting JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna will be contesting as the NDA candidate from the Hassan seat.

Earlier in the day, Kumaraswamy in a media briefing indicated that he would contest from Mandya amid mounting public pressure on him.

Congress has fielded Venkatarame Gowda popularly known as ‘Star Chandru’ from the Mandya seat dominated by Vokkaligas. Star Chandru is a close associate of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

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News Network
March 28,2024

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Mangaluru, Mar 28: A fish meal factory in the Baikampady Industrial area in Mangaluru was gutted in a fire incident on Thursday, officials said.

The factory is owned by the company 'Shihar Enterprises', they said.

According to the locals, the fire was first noticed at 4.45 am today, which was immediately reported to the fire department.

The fire engines reached the spot and tried to douse the fire, but it had already spread to other parts of the factory. After almost four hours of fire-fighting operation, the blaze was completely doused, officials.

The reason for the blaze is still being probed, the fire department officials said, adding that they suspect an electric short circuit could have triggered it.

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News Network
March 27,2024

Bengaluru: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday launched simultaneous raids in multiple places, including Bengaluru and Shivamogga.

Reports suggested that the ongoing raids are in connection with the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram Cafe on March 1. The blast had injured at least ten people as per the police report.

The Central Crime Branch (CCB) had launched an investigation alongside the NIA, and the trail of the suspect led them to Tumakuru first and subsequently to Ballari. Investigators believe that the bomb was planted by Mussavir Hussain Shazib, a handler of the Islamic State’s Shivamogga module who was aided by another IS handler called Ahmed Taahaa.

Sources in the know said that Shazib and Taahaa had stayed in Chennai for about a month between January and February using fake credentials. The names of the suspects were identified after they traced the cap worn by Shazib to a shop in a mall in Chennai. The cap, which was abandoned by the bomber in Bengaluru after the blast, was reportedly bought by Taahaa, around January-end.

As per the NIA, Shazib hails from Masjid Road in Thirthahalli, Shivamogga district, and Taahaa from Fish Market Road, Soppu Gude, Thirthahalli Rural. Both "wanted" suspects have been termed "absconders" by the NIA.

The NIA has questioned seven jailed terror suspects so far in connection with the blast. The investigation agency had also obtained seven-day custody of a jailed terror suspect named Maaz Muneer Ahmed.

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