Kochi: The Ernakulam rural police and Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), in a joint operation here on Friday, arrested 27 illegal migrants from Bangladesh. The arrests were part of  'Operation Clean,' launched by Ernakulam Rural District Police Chief Vaibhav Saxena.

They were nabbed in a joint operation carried out earlier in the day in the North Paravur area, police said. "These Bangladeshi nationals reportedly entered India by crossing a shallow section of a river along the India-Bangladesh border," the Ernakulam rural police said in a statement.

They had been engaged in various types of work in the area and had arrived in North Paravur after staying in multiple locations across India, it added.

All the 27 were arrested from a house rented by Harshad Hossain, a native of Mannam near North Paravur, the statement said. During interrogation, the arrested individuals claimed that agents in Bangladesh had arranged all their Indian documents.

Police said an investigation has been launched into the matter. Those who assisted them locally are also under surveillance, the statement read.

The Bangladeshi nationals were working at various locations in the guise of migrant workers from West Bengal, and detailed questioning is underway, an official said.

Acting on a tip-off about the illegal migrants staying in North Paravur, a team from Ernakulam Rural Police, assisted by the ATS, conducted a search, an officer said. Verification of their documents revealed that they were Bangladeshi nationals illegally residing in India, posing as Indian citizens, he added.

The arrested will be produced before the court after completing the interrogation, he added.

With these arrests, the number of Bangladeshis detained in the Ernakulam rural district police limits this month has risen to 34, police said.