A couple from West Bengal, along with their one-and-a-half-year-old child, has been held in a Bengaluru jail for over three months on suspicion of being Bangladeshi infiltrators. Palash Adhikari and Shukla Adhikari, residents of Tele village in Purba Bardhaman district, were employed at a waste segregation unit in Karnataka’s Sulibele village when they were arrested.

A Bengaluru police team recently visited their village to verify their citizenship documents. According to relatives, Palash used to live in a dilapidated tin shed in Tele village before moving to Bengaluru in June for better opportunities. The couple, along with Palash’s parents, were staying with a person named Kayen Khan in Sulibele village.

Palash and Shukla were arrested on July 27 during a police raid at Kayen’s house. While Palash’s parents were initially detained, they were later allowed to return to their village. Pintu Haldar, a relative, explained that the couple collected waste materials from hotels and restaurants, and despite possessing voter ID cards, ration cards, and PAN cards, they were arrested under the Foreigners Act because they allegedly failed to produce the documents at the time of arrest.

Jamalpur BDO Shubhankar Majumder stated that a Bengaluru police team visited the state to collect documents related to the couple, including residential proof and information about their marital status. Majumder highlighted that the family has been in Bardhaman for 40-45 years and urged the Bengal government to investigate the matter.

Palash’s brother-in-law, Sujan Haldar, expressed hope that the couple would be released soon, emphasizing that there is no evidence against them. A local TMC leader defended the couple, stating that they are voters of Jamalpur constituency and asserted that it is a judicial matter, expressing support for them.