Dadar detention centre for foreign nationals won’t resemble prison, say police

Amid a rise in the detention of illegal foreign nationals by the Mumbai Police a new stateoftheart detention centre is coming up in the bustling Bhoiwada area of Dadar East Proposed by the Mumbai Police approved by the Maharashtra government and being constructed by the public works department the facility is located a stonersquos throw away from the Bhoiwada court and police stationThe primary purpose of the detention centre is to house foreign nationals who have entered the country illegally or overstayed their visas until arrangements for their repatriation are madeCurrently in the absence of a dedicated detention centre the responsibility of housing detained foreign nationals rests with the AntiTerrorism Cell ATC of the respective police stations ldquoSince they are neither criminals nor accused persons they cannot be kept in police lockups or judicial custody Once they are produced before a court the process of deportation begins which often takes months and in some cases yearsUntil then they are released with instructions not to leave the police stationrsquos jurisdiction or the city However this system is unreliable Many attempt to abscond at the first opportunityrdquo a police officer said Echoing these concerns another officer said ldquoThis is why the detention centre is crucial Instead of overcrowding police stations detainees will have a designated space to stay However for years there has been little to no progress on the projectrdquoPolice officers describe the current arrangement as challenging citing security and custody concerns They clarified that the proposed detention centre will be different from a prison with plans for recreational areas basic amenities and a childrenrsquos play zone Once completed it is expected to house a large number of detaineesMumbai Police officials also said that the number of detained Bangladeshi nationals has risen significantly and in the absence of a functional detention centre the police face difficulties in holding them securely until their deportationReason for delayA senior AntiTerrorism Squad ATS official explained the delay in the detention centre becoming operational ldquoOnce a foreign national is detained they are produced before a court If the person has committed a criminal offence they are remanded in police custody In most cases however they are detainees and not accused The court sends them to a detention centre where they remain until the deportation process is completed Since detainees are technically under judicial custody police personnel cannot be deployed there As per law the centre requires staff from the social welfare or justice departments not the police This need for a large number of such personnel is one of the key reasons for the delayrdquo the official said Despite the need there is still no clarity on when the detention centre will be made operationalCrackdown intensifyingMumbai Police data show a steady rise in action against illegal foreign nationals particularly Bangladeshi nationals In 2025 around 1000 Bangladeshi nationals were deported from Mumbai In 2024 nearly 300 were detained with about 160 deported The numbers in 2023 were considerably lower running into double digits highlighting the sharp escalation in recent enforcement drivesPolice personnel booked for stealingIn a rare development during the recent crackdown on illegal immigration an FIR was registered against police personnel attached to the RCF police station in Chembur following allegations of misconduct during an antiinfiltration operation Four AntiTerrorism Cell personnel were arrested and later suspended after a complaint alleged that cash and gold jewellery were taken during a raid on a woman suspected to be a Bangladeshi national The complaint was filed by a social activist on the womanrsquos behalf and the case is currently under investigation