Kolkata Police have arrested six Bangladeshi nationals for allegedly staying in India even after the expiry of their visas.
The arrests were made following a raid at a hotel in Park Street, police said on Monday.
According to officials, all six arrested persons are members of the Awami League.
They have been identified as Abir Hossain, Mohammad Mamun Rashid, Mohammad Alimun Gazi, Azam Molla, Faizal Amin and Zaidul Islam.
Among them, Azam Molla is a singer from Bangladesh.
Police said they received specific intelligence that a group of Bangladeshi nationals had been staying in a Park Street hotel even after their visa validity had expired.
Acting on the tip-off, a team conducted a raid and detained the six men on 16 February.
During interrogation, the accused told investigators that they had entered India on medical visas but did not return to Bangladesh after the visas expired.
They claimed they were afraid of being attacked if they went back to their country and therefore continued to stay in India illegally.
Azam Molla was found staying at the hotel and was also allegedly performing songs for acquaintances in Kolkata.
Police sources said the visas of the six Bangladeshi nationals had expired between November and January.
Despite this, they allegedly kept changing hotels and locations in Kolkata to avoid detection.
Investigators also said the group was exploring possibilities of fleeing abroad from Kolkata by looking for jobs outside India.
The six accused were produced before the Bankshal Court on 16 February. The court remanded them to judicial custody till 27 February.
Police further stated that after their arrest, the accused requested not to be sent back to Bangladesh.
Officials, however, clarified that the legal process would be followed. If found guilty, they will serve the sentence as per Indian law, after which they will be pushed back to Bangladesh, police said.