Gujarat Police arrested 501 Bangladeshi nationals as part of Operation Delta Hunt

Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi. File photo: Worksheet via PTI

Gujarat Police have arrested 501 Bangladeshi nationals from various parts of the state in the last two days as part of ‘Operation Delta Hunt’, a nationwide drive against illegal immigration, Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi said on Thursday (June 4, 2026).

The operation, which began late on Tuesday (June 2, 2026) night, was carried out across Gujarat after extensive planning and intelligence gathering.

Mr. Sanghavi said 501 people have so far been verified and detained for allegedly being in the country illegally. As part of the ongoing exercise, the authorities were simultaneously checking the credentials and background of more than 6,200 other people.

“The message from the Gujarat police is clear – the only response to illegal infiltration is stern action,” the home minister said.

Earlier, Mr. Sanghavi said that the crackdown was carefully planned and carried out simultaneously in different districts of the state. Police teams used a combination of technical surveillance and human intelligence networks to identify suspected illegal migrants.

Most of those detained were engaged in manual labour, with the highest concentrations found in Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara and Bharuch, according to the minister.

Dedicated police teams investigated individuals who allegedly provided accommodation or employed migrants without going through mandatory police verification procedures, he said.

The operation remains ongoing and authorities continue to conduct verification and enforcement actions across the state.

Mr. Sanghavi also expressed confidence that the land allocated by the new West Bengal government for fencing by the Border Security Force along the India-Bangladesh border in the state will further strengthen border security and help prevent illegal infiltration in the future.

Published – 04 Jun 2026 22:51 IST