Illegal stay: Bangladeshi man crossed river into West Bengal, boarded train to Kozhikode; arrested
In a fresh action against undocumented stay, police in Kozhikode have arrested a 44-year-old Bangladeshi national who was living and working illegally in the district. The suspect, identified as Muhammed Moniruzzaman, a native of Kushtia district in Bangladesh, was taken into custody from Perumanna near Pantheeramkavu. The arrest took place after officers received confidential information that a foreign national was staying at Mundupalam in the Perumanna area without valid travel documents.
Illegal entry and local employment
A police team led by Pantheeramkavu Police Station Sub-Inspector P. K. Vinod carried out the operation. Enquiries revealed that Moniruzzaman had been living at Mundupalam for nearly four months, earning a living through tree-cutting work. To reach Kozhikode, he first crossed a river from Bangladesh into West Bengal without authorisation. From West Bengal, he boarded a train to travel directly to Kozhikode. Police noted that Moniruzzaman had previously stayed in Kerala during 2016 and 2017, confirming he had entered India on a valid visa during that earlier period.
Broader crackdown across the city
The arrest in Pantheeramkavu comes amidst a broader crackdown by police on Bangladeshi nationals staying in the district with fraudulent credentials. Recently, Medical College Police arrested three Bangladeshi citizens, including two women, who were residing in the city and working in local spas and welding units using forged identity documents. Those arrested are Roshnara Begum, 30, from Khulna district, her husband Rabbi Ripun, 28, from Kishoreganj district, and 22-year-old Papiya from Manikganj district.
Forged credentials and hotel dispute
That earlier case came to light after a physical dispute broke out near a hotel in Vellayil between the trio and several local migrant workers. Following a formal complaint lodged by the workers, a joint police team under District Police Chief A. P. Shoukathali and Assistant Commissioner T. K. Ashraf initiated an investigation. Vellayil police officers first picked up Rabbi Ripun from a rented house near a private hospital on Mini Bypass Road, where he lived while working as a welder in Puthiyapalam alongside a local colleague, Sudheer. Ripun had moved to Kozhikode after spending four months working in Bengaluru.
Interrogating Ripun enabled police to locate and detain his wife, Roshnara, and Papiya. Verification established that all three had entered Kerala after procuring fake Indian identity cards—including Aadhaar, PAN, and Voter ID cards—forged using Kolkata addresses. Digital evidence of the fake credentials was found stored on the women's mobile phones, alongside proof that Roshnara's father is a Bangladeshi citizen. Roshnara had been working at local spas in Thondayad, Nadakkavu, and Eranhipalam for eight months, while Papiya had joined a spa in Thondayad ten days prior to her arrest.