Jammu police cracks down on locals ‘sheltering’ Rohingyas; over 50 booked

SRINAGAR, Dec 20 (SABAH): Over 50, seven of them married couples, have been arrested and in a major police action taken against those who harbouring Rohingya migrants or facilitating their stay with illegal papers in Jammu.

The arrests were made from Kishtwar, Ramban, Poonch and Rajouri districts, while 10 Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals were booked in Doda, said media report.

Seven FIRs were registered at different police stations in Jammu where the police parties swooped on the Rohingya slums at over two dozen places and carried out house-to-house searches.

“Some locals have provided their plots of land to settle the outside immigrants. We are checking and identifying these facilitators, who are also availing the government benefits for them,” IGP Jammu said.

 “The facilitators, once apprehended, will be subject to legal proceedings, and any violation of laws pertaining to national security and immigration will be dealt with firmly,” IGP Jammu said.

He said that seven FIRs were lodged at FIR No. 270, FIR No. 352, FIR No.107, FIR No. 184, FIR No. 191, FIR No. 370 and FIR No. 527 at Satwari Bahu Fort, Bagh-e-Bahu, Channi Himmat, Nowabad, Domana and police stations respectively against people accused of providing shelter to the foreign immigrants.

The case was registered under various sections of Indian Penal Code including 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of important documents), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document)