A prostitution racket involving call girls from Bangladesh was recently busted in Odisha capital Bhubaneswar. A lady kingpin from the neighbouring country stationed in the city was reportedly running the racket importing Bangla girls with the help of fake documents and was engaging them in flesh trade.

                   The incident brought to the fore the massive problem of Bangladeshi infiltrators in the city which has emerged as a major urban centre in the eastern part of India. In fact, the city known for its ancient temples seems to have turned a paradise for illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. The police and the local authorities must look into the problem seriously before it is too late.

                  Not only call girls, one can find infiltrators from the neighbouring country among roadside vendors, small traders and even among the construction workers in the city. What is most disturbing and alarming is the fact that there has been no serious attempt by the authorities and the local police to find and identify them.

                  Large number of slums that have already come up in the city and are coming up in regular intervals in different areas have become a safe haven for these Bangladeshis to make their home and operate without any problem. They are allegedly being helped by local goons and anti-social elements who themselves are engaged in illegal activities like smuggling, drug peddling and “Supar”(contract) killing.

                  What the authorities and the police should do is raid the slums and identify the infiltrators among the dwellers and initiate appropriate action against them. The police must trade carefully as there were instances in the past of anti-socials indulging in counter attacks on the law enforcing agencies during such raids.

                  Earlier, infiltration by Bangladeshis were confined only to selected coastal districts of Odisha. Now the menace has already gripped almost all the 30 districts in the state. The authorities must look into the problem more seriously and with utmost urgency as the state is home to many important establishments including defence installations.

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