Illegal Immigration Under Control? Rohingya Arrests At All-Time High In 2018; 24,000 Still Under Cover

During the years 2015-18, the Border Security Forces (BSF) arrested 478 Rohingya Muslims along the India-Bangladesh border with 230 held alone in 2018. These figures were tabled in the lower house by the Union Home Ministry, in response to a question by K Gopal on 1 January (Tuesday).

It was reported by senior BSF officials that along the India-Bangladesh border, apprehensions of a large number of Rohingyas tried entering the country after August 2017, after nearly 700,000 fled Myanmar. However, the influx couldn’t take place due to ‘designated camps’ set up by the Bangladesh government.

According to estimates by the Home Ministry, there are around 40,000 Rohingyas in India and only 16,000 of them are registered with the United Nations (UN).

After the arrest, the Rohingyas are handed over to the police and booked under the Foreigners Act. “Once Rohingya are arrested and handed over to the police, their presence in the country becomes official. The only process left with the agencies to send them to their country of origin is through deportation, which can take a lot of time,” said a BSF official, reports The Hindu.

Amongst the 478 apprehended Rohingyas, some have been arrested not for trying to enter the country, but while attempting to leave.