Madikeri: Kodagu police have taken four Bangladeshi nationals, including two children, into custody for allegedly residing illegally in the district while posing as labourers from Assam.SP RN Bindu Mani identified them as Sujaan, 32, Soniya, 28, Sanjidha, 10, and Shiyama, 5. Police said they were being questioned and would be moved to a detention centre in Bengaluru ahead of deportation proceedings.The family was working on a plantation in Kottigeri, under the Balele gram panchayat, in Ponnampet taluk.Members of Hindu Jagarana Vedike and local activists questioned them. After they failed to produce valid documents, the four were questioned and handed over to Ponnampet police.During preliminary questioning, they reportedly admitted to crossing the international border illegally after paying a broker in West Bengal.The activists said they also possessed a motorcycle registered in Bengaluru. The activists demanded action against human trafficking networks and people sheltering illegal migrants.The SP said estate owners would be warned to conduct stringent background checks before hiring labourers. However, she said existing laws did not provide for charges against estate owners in cases involving illegal border infiltration.
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