Pune: The Pune Police have formally requested the Union Home Ministry and the State Home Department to establish an independent detention centre catering to foreigners awaiting deportation due to overstaying or involvement in illegal activities such as drug trafficking, flesh trade, or cheating cases. Currently, foreign nationals, upon completing their sentences, are compelled to stay at police stations under restrictive orders until their deportation.
Police Commissioner Retesh Kumaarr explained the pressing need for a dedicated detention centre, stating, “Police stations do not have adequate facilities for foreigners. They need food, beds, washrooms, and other amenities. Some police stations are too small, making it challenging to house these individuals. We can have a detention centre in Shivajinagar or in Yerawada, properly guarded, if we are granted permission.”
While the police have made the formal request, there has been no response from the government as of now. The lack of appropriate facilities in police stations poses difficulties in accommodating foreign nationals who have completed their sentences and are awaiting deportation.
A Special Branch (SB) officer highlighted the necessity of a detention centre, particularly in cases involving blacklisting or deportation. Sometimes, foreign nationals, ousted from their rented accommodations, have to be accommodated in police stations until their flight schedules are confirmed.
“In such situations, a detention centre is required to house these foreigners with appropriate facilities,” the SB officer explained.
The call for a detention centre comes after an incident in June of the previous year when two Bangladeshi nationals, under restrictive orders awaiting deportation, managed to flee from the Sinhagad Road police station premises after spending nearly six months there. The individuals had been imprisoned for four years in connection with a series of theft cases by a city court.
