A well-oiled network of 'immigration' touts and agents in Kolkata and Guwahati has been helping the Rohingya infiltrating from Bangladesh and Myanmar with transit arrangements as well as the procurement of fake Indian identity cards and other documentation to facilitate their stay here, according to intelligence reports, reports The Times of India.
The Rohingya squatters also seek the support of local Muslim organisations to ensure they are not questioned or uprooted from the areas they choose to settle in.
On Thursday, when Union home minister Rajnath Singh meets chief ministers/home ministers of eastern states, including West Bengal, to discuss issues pertaining to the India-Bangladesh border, he will raise the alleged network of immigration touts/agents in Kolkata assisting the Rohingya in their transit from border crossing points to shanties, slums and rented accommodation within West Bengal. They stay in these temporary accommodations before moving to other parts of the country.
"Since West Bengal accounts for 1,900km of the nearly 4,000 km-long India-Bangladesh border, it has two major crossing points for the Rohingya and also a thriving network of local agents facilitating their transit. We need to sensitise state police to take action as the Rohingya Muslims are a potential security threat. Singh will raise the issue with CM Mamata Banerjee at the India-Bangladesh border review meeting on December 7 and ask her to get state police to dismantle the network," said a home ministry officer.
According to estimates put together by the intelligence agencies, there are around 40,000 Rohingya Muslims illegally settled across the country. Of these, 7,096 are based in J&K (Jammu), 3,059 in Hyderabad, 1,114 in Mewat (Haryana), 1,200 in western UP, 1,061 in Delhi (Okhla) and 400 in Jaipur.
"Of late, some attempts by Rohingya to move to states like Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, have come to notice. There has also been new influx of immigrants into Jammu, Hyderabad, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands," said an intelligence officer.
Rohingya Muslims, once settled in India, actively participate in Tablighi activities through local mosques, say intelligence reports. This is more commonly seen in Jammu, Hyderabad and Chennai.
Also, the funds for their activities are arranged through the hundi/hawala route by local outfits, some of which have been identified as Jamaat Ahle Haider, Yateem Trust and Kashmiri Welfare Trust, said a home ministry officer.
Intelligence agencies have identified the key border-crossing points through which the Rohingya enter India. These include three points on the India-Bangladesh border and two on the India-Myanmar border. The BSF has, as part of tighter surveillance on the India-Bangladesh border, pushed back 87 Rohingya.