Sanjana B, Pune
The Karnataka State Legislature received information on Thursday that around 750 foreign nationals are in the state despite their expired visas. Apart from this, 502 complaints have been registered with the police against these nationals.
Karnataka Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara addressed the issue in the Legislative Assembly Session on July 14. Stating that most of these nationals are residing in the state for educational purposes, he said that most of them engage in illegal activities, so cases are registered against them. They do this so they can’t be removed from the country.
Of the foreigners accused of illegal activities, the highest number, 467, live in Bengaluru. “We have instructed the respective police stations to look for these foreign nationals overstaying in the state. We’re also taking measures to deport them through the Ministry ofExternall affairs,” said the Home Minister. He also stated that most of them are Nigerian students.
4,890 foreigners in Karnataka hold a student visa. Among these, 2,356 are foreign students living in Bengaluru. Apart from them, 8,862 foreigners holding visas currently reside in Bengaluru and other parts of the state.
According to data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in 2021, Karnataka accounted for the highest number of criminal cases involving foreigners among all South Indian states. Nationally, it stood third with 229 cases against these foreign nationals, following West Bengal and Delhi.
This April, the Central Crime Branch (CCB) arrested a person for faking admission to 104 foreign nationals from countries like Yemen, Iran, and Saudi Arabia at a Bengaluru college to facilitate their illegal stay. A complaint was lodged against him by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO). Agents like these help foreign nationals migrate to India and arrange accommodation for their illegal stay in the country.