Basirhat police in West Bengal on Friday arrested 22 people, including two pregnant women, alleged to be Rohingya after they recently started living in an under-construction house in Baduria.

Sources with the police said that on Friday, residents of Labanga village under Sayestanagar Gram Panchayat in Baduria noticed that some people were staying in an under-construction house in the area. They approached the occupants of the house and questioned them, following which it emerged that they were Rohingya.

Subsequently, the villagers detained all of them and informed the police. Officers arrived soon and arrested them, sources said.

Hossain Mehedi Rehman, Superintendent of Police (SP), Basirhat, said, “We arrested all 22 suspects. We are investigating why they came here and what their identity is.”

A senior police officer said, “Women and children are also there in the group. Two women are pregnant. Some of them also have refugee cards.”

According to the Baduria police, when the accused were questioned, it came to light that they had infiltrated into India from Bangladesh more than 10 years ago. They then went to Hyderabad and worked as daily-wage labourers and ragpickers.

During the last one month, when local residents there started identifying them as Bangladeshi immigrants, the group fled to West Bengal, planning to make their way back to Bangladesh through illegal means, officers said. Till then, they planned to stay at the under-construction house.

Panchayat member Hakim Sheikh said, “Residents felt suspicious seeing strangers in the area in a large group. We informed the police and administration. The police then arrested all of them.”