Afghan national held in Roorkee for overstaying in India

Roorkee: An Afghan national was arrested at Roorkee railway station during a routine checking drive on Monday. It was found that 40-year-old Najibullah, a resident of Kandahar in Afghanistan, was allegedly staying illegally in India for four years. He had arrived in India in 2018 on a valid three-year visa to pursue religious education at a madrasa in Deoband.

After his visa expired in 2021, Najibullah did not return to his home country and continued to stay in India unlawfully. Local intelligence agencies are currently questioning him to ascertain his whereabouts during this period and to find out the individuals he remained in contact with.

SP (rural) Shekhar Chandra Suyal, "We are verifying the information provided by the foreign national. If he is not found to be involved in any anti-national activities, we will make efforts to deport him at the earliest."

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) started a search and questioned a few suspects at the station after the chain of an express train was pulled near Roorkee on Sunday. When Najibullah could not give proper answers about his whereabouts, he was detained by the RPF and was later handed over to the local police.

During questioning, he told police that he arrived in India in 2018 to pursue religious studies at a madrasa in Deoband. His visa expired in 2021, and due to the political upheaval and unrest following a regime change in his country Afghanistan, he was unable to return."

He was arrested under the provisions of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, and produced before a local court, which remanded him to 14 days of judicial custody.



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