Silence hangs over Chandola Lake’s slums after city police swooped in over the weekend, detaining hundreds in a sweeping operation targeting alleged illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. When Police Commissioner GS Malik visited the area on Monday, he found a near-abandoned settlement—over 600 homes stood eerily locked, their occupants vanished overnight.
A background here is necessary. During his visit to the Chandola Lake slum settlement, Malik stumbled upon an unexpected structure—a large, well-constructed farmhouse tucked deep within the chaos of tin shanties. The crime branch later identified it as the property of one Lalla Pathan, alias Lalla Bihari, a figure now under scrutiny for allegedly masterminding a covert shelter network for undocumented immigrants.
Officials allege that Pathan systematically encroached upon the lake by dumping waste from the Pirana landfill—an operation reportedly carried out with quiet backing from insiders within the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. Over the years, the trash turned into terrain, and the terrain into a thriving hub of illegal housing. From this reclaimed land, Pathan is believed to have built an informal empire, offering cover and accommodation to Bangladeshi nationals for nearly 20 years—right under the city’s nose.
Authorities are now scrambling to trace where the residents disappeared. Meanwhile, the city crime branch confirmed that 140 detainees—suspected Bangladeshi nationals—are set for imminent deportation.
The operation unfolded late Saturday, when police raided the densely packed shanties of Chandola, historically seen as a hub for undocumented immigrants. Alongside Bangladeshi nationals, the area is also home to many migrant laborers from Bihar and West Bengal. The late-night combing drive netted nearly 800 individuals.
Commissioner Malik, flanked by Joint Commissioner Sharad Singhal and DCP Ajit Rajiaan, revisited the site to assess the aftermath. He recalled that in 2009–10, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation had demolished the very structures now found rebuilt—illegally, once again.
As dusk fell on Monday, electricity lines to the area were severed by a private power firm, plunging the deserted slums into darkness. Scores of detainees were identified with documents from West Bengal and Bihar. Now, the police are conducting additional investigation in those states, following concerns about cross-border networks and false identities.
Meanwhile, the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) has also voiced strong opposition regarding the manner of the operation. In a public statement, the civil rights group denounced the police tactics—particularly the parading of detainees and forcing them to walk kilometers without medical aid or shelter.
With houses abandoned, lights out, and the fate of hundreds hanging in limbo, Chandola now sits as a silent witness to a story still unfolding.
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