In an operation taken up to check for foreigners overstaying or staying without valid documents in Hyderabad, 23 people were identified for not having some documents, staying illegally, and other violations. The joint operation was taken up by different units of Hyderabad police and Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in different parts of the city early on Tuesday morning.
Hyderabad Police commissioner Anjani Kumar said that among the 23 identified, some of them including children, were from Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Visa, passport and other relevant documents of foreigners were checked during this operation which was conducted at Banjara Hills, Golconda, Asifnagar, Osmania University, Amberpet, Chikadpally, Chandrayangutta and other locations. A total of around 74 people were questioned.
At a press conference held on Tuesday, Mr Anjani Kumar said that they will be given an option to regularise the overstay by paying a penalty as per rules. He said that they can leave after producing papers and taking exit visa, failing which they will be detained and deported.
“The joint verification process was conducted by around 21 teams from Hyderabad police, Special Branch, Task Force and FRRO. Intelligence department officials also participated. For the police and FRRO, those who are overstaying, without any documents, are important,” Mr Anjani Kumar said. This exercise was taken up a week after the police collected biometrics from around 65 foreigners as part of a drive to check for those overstaying.
The police commissioner clarified that nobody was targeted and as per rules, it is the duty of police to check foreigners, their documents and the period of validity of it. “Hyderabad is a metropolitan city. The city always welcomes people from other countries for business, tourism, studies. They are all welcome here, but as per rules and procedure,” he added.