Around 500 foreigners overstaying in Karnataka are facing criminal cases, while visas of 754 foreigners have expired, according to information shared by Home Minister G. Parameshwara in the Legislative Council recently.
The State police registered 501 cases against foreign nationals, as of May 2023, for drug peddling, burglary, and other criminal offences. Mr. Parameshwara said that the highest number of foreigners involved in criminal activities was from Bengaluru city, where 451 cases have been booked.
Foreign nationals in Karnataka
“We are trying to deport them by taking up the matter with embassies of their respective countries, through the Ministry of External Affairs. Whoever has not been deported is lodged in detention centres till they get the exit permit,” he stated.
According to data from the Home Department, 8,862 foreign nationals are currently living in Karnataka, of which 5,656 are in Bengaluru, followed by 806 in Mysuru.
Among the 8,862 foreign nationals, 4,890 have student visas including 2,356 in Bengaluru.
In 2022, the State government directed all police stations to conduct a survey of foreigners staying in their jurisdictions and submit a report to the government.
A senior police officer The Hindu, “Overstaying in India beyond the visa date can lead to a fine, imprisonment of up to five years and even a ban on entering the country again. After finding out about the illegal overstaying of foreigners, we have intimated about them to the respective embassies of their country and also to the Ministry of External Affairs. Apart from this, they will be kept at the Foreigners Detention Center in the city till cases against them are disposed of and they get an exit permit from the departments concerned.”
