Seven FIRs have been lodged at different police stations in Jammu against persons for their alleged involvement in giving shelter and government benefits to Rohingyas, police said on Tuesday, as reported by news agency PTI. A police spokesperson has said that the FIRs were lodged at police stations Satwari, Trikuta Nagar, Bagh-e-Bahu, Channi Himmat, Nowabad, Domana, and Nagrota after searches were carried out at different locations in Jammu district.
According to an official, the FIRs were registered against people who are accused of providing shelter to foreign immigrants and also helping them avail of government benefits.
The police spokesperson further stated that the searches in the presence of magistrates were carried out at different locations where the Rohingyas are accommodated and also at the residential places of the facilitators, as reported by PTI. As per the official, illegally acquired Indian documents like PAN cards, Adhaar cards, and bank documents, among other incriminating material, were seized during searches.
“Investigation into the matter has started, and other details will be shared subsequently. Stringent action in the future shall be taken against all such defaulters,” the spokesperson said, as quoted by PTI.
During a crackdown against Rohingyas in Kishtwar district a day earlier, police registered a case after recovering illegally obtained documents like Adhaar cards. The case was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of important documents), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) at police station Dachhan.
Rohingyas are a Bengali-dialect-speaking Muslim minority from Myanmar. Following persecution in their country, many Rohingyas entered India illegally through Bangladesh and took shelter in Jammu and other parts of the country.
Over 13,700 foreigners, including Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshi nationals, are settled in Jammu and other districts of Jammu and Kashmir, where their population has increased by over 6,000 between 2008 and 2016, PTI reported, citing government data.