Odisha police detained 18 suspected Bangladeshi nationals staying illegally in Jagatsinghpur and Bhadrak districts during late-night raids on Tuesday.

The raids were carried out in Tarikunda and Dariapur villages in Jagatsinghpur. Senior officers, backed by a platoon of force, led the operation following specific intelligence inputs. Teams searched residential pockets and also inspected a madrasa where the suspects, including a few minors, were believed to be sheltering.

Additional superintendent of police, Jagatsinghpur, Satyabrata Das told The Telegraph: “Around 10 people were taken into custody for verification. All of them have been lodged in a shelter home. Document verification is under way. Earlier, we repatriated 17 people to Bangladesh.”

Police sources said another 10 suspects managed to escape during the operation.

In Bhadrak, police detained eight more suspected Bangladeshis after similar raids. Officers examined the papers produced by the detainees, who were questioned in detail about their stay, work and places of origin. They have been housed in a shelter home near Bhadrak bus stand.

Both Bhadrak and Jagatsinghpur have long been considered safe havens for Bangladeshi nationals. Sources said infiltrators reach these coastal districts through both land and water routes. Many take up prawn culture, while others work at construction sites.

The drive follows chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s statement on Monday in the state Assembly that 49 Bangladeshi nationals had been repatriated after a state-wide identification campaign.

Odisha currently operates 18 district-level detention facilities and two state-level centres for verification and repatriation of foreign nationals staying illegally.

Tension rose in Jagatsinghpur after the administration razed 17 houses of suspected Bangladeshis and a labour tout on November 17. The action followed complaints against Sikandar Alam, accused of bringing labourers from Bangladesh for construction work. Alam, a former merchant navy worker, has been arrested.

However, anti-socials are exploiting the state government’s drive by targeting Muslim traders and migrant workers from Bengal.

On November 24, Rahul Islam, a 24-year-old winterwear seller from Murshidabad, was allegedly branded a Bangladeshi and beaten up by a mob in Odisha’s Ganjam district.