Seven Bangladeshi nationals, including six women, have been arrested in Maharashtra`s Thane district for allegedly illegally residing in India, officials said on Friday, reported news agency PTI.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone III) Atul Zende said the Kalyan police made the arrests on September 9.

Around 6 pm that day, a patrolling team spotted six women loitering near the Kalyan railway station, he said.

“They were carrying Bangladeshi birth certificates and identity cards. Also, the women could not produce any valid Indian documents to justify their stay in the country,” DCP Zende told reporters.

The next day, police spotted a man showing similar suspicious behaviour. ¿He was identified as a Bangladeshi national without valid travel or immigration documents,¿ the official said, reported PTI.

“During interrogation, they confessed to having entered India illegally by crossing the border and later boarding a train to Mumbai,” Zende added, reported PTI.

A case has been registered against the group under the Indian Passport Act and other laws.

Police are trying to ascertain if the group is linked to any human trafficking network, the official said.

Rs 10.07 crore-worth assets of drugs syndicate kingpin seized

In another case, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has attached assets worth Rs 10.07 crore of Navin Chichkar, alleged kingpin of an international syndicate involved in the smuggling of cocaine and other drugs, an official said on Thursday, reported PTI.

The seized properties or assets included 15 bank accounts, cash and five immovable properties located in Maharashtra, he said.

The case was also referred to the Enforcement Directorate to investigate possible money laundering, the official added, reported PTI.

Chichkar, arrested by the NCB after he was deported from Malaysia earlier this year, was allegedly operating a drug cartel from abroad for the last couple of years, reported PTI.

On January 31, 2025, the NCB Mumbai seized 11.5 kg of cocaine, 4.9 kg of ganja and 5.5 kg of cannabis gummies. Nine persons including Chichkar were arrested subsequently, reported PTI.

The cocaine was being sent from Thailand and distributed in India as well as smuggled to foreign destinations, the official said.

After Chichkar`s name surfaced in the case, his father, a Navi Mumbai-based builder, allegedly committed suicide.

(With inputs from PTI)

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