Agra, Jan 12, 2026, 23:48 IST
- Agra police announced that 38 Bangladeshi nationals are set for deportation on Jan. 13, following a court directive
- Police report the group relied on forged Aadhaar identity cards and PAN tax cards
- The border handover is set to take place in Kolkata, coordinated by India’s Intelligence Bureau and Border Security Force
Police in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, announced that 38 Bangladeshi nationals, including eight children, will be deported on Jan. 13 following an Agra court’s order after serving three-year prison sentences. The group was arrested in February 2023 in Sector 14 of Awas Vikas Colony, Sikandra area, when officers found 35 forged Aadhaar identity cards and a fake PAN tax card, police said. They are being escorted to Kolkata for handover, coordinated by the Intelligence Bureau, India’s domestic intelligence agency, and the Border Security Force, responsible for border security. “They were arrested for residing here illegally,” said deputy commissioner of police Syed Ali Abbas. Hindustan Times
The case is significant because it merges illegal residence with suspected identity fraud—a combo that usually jumps quickly from police records to the courts. When fake documents come to light, local authorities are forced to answer tough questions about how long the person lived under the radar and which services they used with those papers.
Agra may be famous for the Taj Mahal, not border control, yet the deportation plan still winds through the border system. It involves several agencies and, down the line, coordination with Bangladesh’s border force.
Aadhaar, India’s national ID system, and PAN, a tax identity number, are both routinely required for everyday paperwork. Police reported the group relied on forged copies of these documents.
The Intelligence Bureau usually handles delicate internal security issues and coordinates handovers with federal forces. The Border Security Force is responsible for guarding India’s land borders, including the stretch shared with Bangladesh.
Allegations of illegal stay typically fall under the Foreigners Act, a law dating back to 1946 that targets foreign nationals without proper documentation. When IDs appear forged, authorities frequently tack on forgery charges as well.
The line between enforcement and error is razor-thin in deportation cases, and disputes often drag on. Agra ACP Dinesh Singh told ThePrint the group would be handed over to the BSF in Kolkata, “from where they will be deported on 13 January.” ThePrint reported that a court sentenced them in July 2025 under the Foreigners Act — the law regulating foreign nationals’ stay — also linking charges related to forged documents. The outlet also quoted Chief Justice Surya Kant from last year, saying: “If somebody shows that I am an Indian citizen and can produce evidence, they have a right to be heard.” ThePrint
Local police handle the transport and paperwork involved in custody transfers between agencies. Once that’s done, the operational work moves to federal forces and border coordination.
On Monday, the episode sparked a surge in online interest, pushing “agra” into the spotlight as a trending search term. It racked up over 200,000 searches, according to a Latestly summary of Google Trends data and related headlines. LatestLY
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