Odisha administration on Monday demolished 17 houses belonging to suspected Bangladeshi nationals and a labour tout in Jagatsinghpur district, about 70km from the state capital.

The demolition drive, which began two days ago, concluded on Monday afternoon. Police have detained 23 persons and arrested two women, while several others fled the area before the eviction teams arrived.

The houses, located in Berhampur Basti and Satpura under Jagatsinghpur Sadar police limits, were razed after the district administration identified the occupants as illegal settlers staying on encroached government land. The structures had been in existence for nearly four years.

Bulldozers, escorted by armed police, rolled into the settlements in the presence of the Jagatsinghpur sub-collector, local tehsildar and an executive magistrate. Officials said the settlement was created by one Sikandar Alam alias Aku, a labour tout accused of trafficking workers from Bangladesh and placing them at construction sites in Odisha. He allegedly collected weekly cuts from their wages. One of the demolished houses belonged to Alam himself. Police sources said he had earlier worked in the merchant navy and used those networks to facilitate illegal crossings.

The entire operation began after district officials rescued several children, some of whom were confirmed to be non-Indian nationals. Following this, police visited the settlement on Saturday but were attacked by a mob. An additional SP and other policemen sustained injuries. The violent resistance prompted an urgent demolition order.

During a follow-up raid, police seized country-made firearms, daggers, sharp weapons and large quantities of suspected fake documents. Two platoons of police and one armed platoon of Odisha State Armed Police have been deployed to prevent further clashes.

Jagatsinghpur sub-collector Prashant Tarai said: “We are following a zero-tolerance approach against illegal encroachment and infiltration. The police received credible inputs about suspected Bangladeshis staying here. After the attack on the police team, the administration decided to take firm and immediate action.”

Jagatsinghpur collector J. Sonal said: “We have ordered a full investigation into how these people reached the district and who facilitated their settlement. The police have been asked to investigate possible criminal activities. A dedicated team was constituted to carry out the eviction and demolition.”

Jagatsinghpur SP Ankit Kumar Verma said all detainees are being verified. “We are checking Aadhaar cards, bank papers and other documents. If anyone claims to be from Bengal, we will contact the concerned district authorities. Only those who prove Indian citizenship will be allowed to remain.”

Officials said the demolition is part of a wider state-level operation launched in July to detect and remove illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya settlements in Odisha. Revenue officials have been directed to prepare fresh lists of encroachments and initiate similar action wherever required.