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For the past four months, a police station in south Mumbai has served as the temporary residence of a 65-year-old Pakistani national who, after serving a sentence for illegally entering India, is now awaiting deportation, according to PTI.
Nadir Munir Khan, a cloth merchant from Karachi, has been confined to a room at the Mata Ramabai Ambedkar (MRA) Marg police station since October last year. A senior official confirmed that Khan is not permitted to leave the station premises until his deportation process is finalised.
According to PTI reports, Khan was apprehended by officials from the MRA Marg police station on April 11, 2024, when he was found wandering suspiciously near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. Upon questioning, he revealed that he was a Pakistani national but failed to produce a valid visa or other travel documents. As a result, he was taken into custody and charged under the Foreigners Act and the Passport Act, PTI reports.
Given his foreign nationality, intelligence agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), also questioned him before legal proceedings were initiated. Following his prosecution, a local court sentenced him to six months' imprisonment for his illegal stay in the country. After completing his sentence on October 11, 2024, he was released but had nowhere to go. Since then, he has been residing at the police station while awaiting deportation, PTI reports.
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Senior Inspector Santosh Dhanavate of MRA Marg police station stated that authorities have contacted Pakistani officials regarding Khan's repatriation and are awaiting their response. In the meantime, the Mumbai police have taken responsibility for his well-being, providing him with food and daily necessities.
Khan told the police that his journey to India was unintended. According to his statement, he had initially travelled to Kathmandu, Nepal, in 2023 for a business trip, where he supplied leather jackets to local vendors. However, he was allegedly cheated out of his payment by these vendors. When he confronted them, he was reportedly assaulted, and his passport and documents were stolen.
With no identification, he overstayed in Nepal, leading to a fine imposed by the authorities. Unable to resolve his situation, he decided to cross into India through the Sonauli land port in Uttar Pradesh and eventually travelled to New Delhi. After spending some time in the capital, he made his way to Mumbai in November 2023, PTI reports.
Inspector Dhanavate confirmed that Mumbai police's special branch has communicated with the Ministry of External Affairs regarding Khan's deportation. However, the process remains stalled as they await official confirmation from Pakistan. Until then, Khan remains under the care of the police station.
"The police station has become his home for now, and we are ensuring that his basic needs are met. But we hope for a swift response from Pakistani authorities so that the deportation process can be completed soon," the official told PTI.
With deportation procedures often requiring multiple clearances and diplomatic coordination, it remains uncertain how long Khan will have to stay at the police station. Until then, he continues to wait, unable to step outside, with the Mumbai police overseeing his temporary stay.
