Pune: 5 Bangladeshi Women Held in Budhwar Peth Raid, Total Illegal Detainees Reach 94 in Zone 1

Pune, 11th May 2026: Pune Police have detained five Bangladeshi women allegedly living illegally in the country during a combing operation conducted in the Budhwar Peth red-light area under the jurisdiction of the Faraskhana police station in the early hours of Monday, officials said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 1) Krushikesh Rawale stated that in the past 11 months alone, 94 Bangladeshi nationals living illegally within his jurisdiction have been detained.

The action was part of a special drive launched by city police to identify and take action against foreign nationals allegedly staying illegally in Pune. Senior police inspector Prashant Bhasme of Faraskhana police station had directed investigation teams and Anti-Trafficking Cell personnel to carry out intensified searches in the locality, police said.

According to officials, the operation was conducted between 1 am and 9 am on May 11. During the drive, police sub-inspector Arvind Shinde received information that five Bangladeshi women were residing illegally in a residential building in Budhwar Peth.

A police team subsequently raided the premises and detained the women for questioning. During the inquiry, the women allegedly told police that they had crossed the Bangladesh border illegally and entered India through unauthorised routes before arriving in Pune, officials said. Police further claimed that the women were engaged in prostitution in the area to earn a livelihood.

Officials said documents and other evidence establishing their Bangladeshi nationality were recovered during the investigation, following which they were taken into custody and further legal proceedings were initiated.