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Journalism of Courage
This is an archive article published on May 18, 2025
Three Bangladeshi women, including one posing as transgender, held in Delhi
Two of the accused were found using smartphones with the banned IMO app to communicate with their families in Bangladesh, police said
She allegedly told the police that she had crossed over to India illegally through Hili and Benapole border areas in West Bengal (File Photo)
Three Bangladeshi women residing illegally in Delhi, including one who posed as a transgender, have been apprehended from North West Delhi’s Mahendra Park, police said on Saturday.
The accused have been identified as Aleena (22), Tangina Rahaman alias Deepa (22), and Suhan Khan (30), said DCP (North West) Bhisham Singh. Two of the accused were found using smartphones with the banned IMO app to communicate with their families in Bangladesh, police said.
“In May, a team of the Foreigners Cell began analysing social media accounts of suspected individuals. During this exercise, it was observed that a suspected illegal Bangladeshi transgender was residing at Mahendra Park. She was allegedly disguising herself as a woman from West Bengal and had taken to selling momos from a street cart to avoid suspicion,” he added.
The police identified the woman as Deepa, who was apprehended on Thursday after she posted a video reel on social media showing an ice cream cart and inadvertently revealed surrounding buildings in a lane. The officers scanned about 50 lanes to locate the area and then identified the house shown in the reel, said Singh.
“During questioning, she revealed that she had been in a relationship with a man she met on Facebook. After a period of online communication, she illegally crossed the Bangladesh border and entered India. Her boyfriend received her in West Bengal and subsequently brought her to Delhi, where they started living together in a rented accommodation. Neighbours knew her as Deepa and believed her to be a native of West Bengal,” he added.
She allegedly told the police that she had crossed over to India illegally through Hili and Benapole border areas in West Bengal.
Following her questioning, two more Bangladeshi women were detained, said police. Both initially claimed to be Indian citizens married to local men, but their phones and personal items revealed otherwise, said police.
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All three have been handed over to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) at RK Puram for deportation proceedings, said officers.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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