444 people sent to holding centres in Odisha as officials verify citizenship documents

“We are verifying their proof of Indian citizenship and other details like how they came to Odisha,” he said.

Police sources said the people are engaged in construction activities, mining and various industrial units.

Officials said that following guidelines issued by the MHA, instructions were issued to all districts to constitute STFs headed by superintendents of police. The STFs would also be assigned a foreigners registration officer (FRO) to identify and deport illegal immigrants.

The district authorities have been asked to detect, identify and deport those who are unable to show proof of citizenship.

The FROs have also been asked to identify holding centres in each district to put the suspects during verification, while the state government has also identified an old jail in Athagarh as a state holding centre.

For the BJP, which came to power in Odisha in 2024, the identification of illegal immigrants is a key focus.

As Odisha has a coastline of over 480 kilometres, officials say illegal immigrants come from the sea route and settle in coastal districts such as Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak and Balasore.

Last month, during his visit to Kendrapada, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi asked the district administration to take strict legal action against Bangladeshi nationals staying illegally without valid documents. He asked the police to work with central agencies to deal with the issue, calling the move a necessary step towards national security.

According to a reply to a question in the Assembly in March this year, Odisha has 3,740 undocumented migrants from Bangladesh. Officials, however, estimate that the actual figure is much higher.