Odisha Police launches crackdown on suspected Bangladeshi infiltrators in 5 districts

The Odisha Police performed coordinated raids throughout 5 districts as a part of an intensified crackdown on infiltration, a senior officer mentioned.

The operation was launched on Tuesday (November 18, 2025) after authorities demolished a home that allegedly sheltered suspected Bangladeshi nationals in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district.

The motion got here whilst a 12-hour bandh known as by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Keonjhar disrupted regular life, with calls for for the rapid eviction of suspected infiltrators.

Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan mentioned the Odisha authorities, following directives of the Union authorities, has begun figuring out people from Bangladesh staying illegally in Odisha.

“We will take authorized motion and evict all these discovered staying illegally,” he asserted.

The police performed the raids in Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Keonjhar and Puri districts all through Tuesday, officers mentioned.

In Bhadrak, 17 folks have been detained, whereas Jagatsinghpur district police arrested 4 individuals and questioned a number of others after recovering weapons, together with a pistol, from the home demolished on Monday, they mentioned.

In Jagatsinghpur’s Tirtol police station space, round 20 folks residing in rented lodging within the Rahama locality have been interrogated about their identities, the character of their enterprise, and their period of keep in Odisha, in keeping with a type of detained.

Puri SP Prateek Singh mentioned all police stations have been instructed to keep up heightened vigilance, after reviews steered that some suspects might have fled through the Jagatsinghpur raid.

“We have requested all police stations in Puri district to determine individuals suspected to be Bangladeshi infiltrators. However, until Tuesday night, none have been recognized,” Mr. Singh mentioned.

The VHP-led bandh in Keonjhar noticed shutdown of retailers, markets, colleges, schools, and vehicular motion, although the day handed with none main law-and-order incidents, police mentioned.

The bandh’s influence prolonged past Keonjhar city to Champua, Joda, Barbil, Patana, Ghasipura and Anandapur, with picketing at a number of places leaving automobiles stranded alongside stretches of National Highway-20, the officer mentioned.

IGP (Western Range) Brijesh Rai, who visited Keonjhar, described the bandh as peaceable and mentioned the police remained alert to issues over alleged infiltration.