The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has instructed the state Chief Secretary, Director General of Police, and relevant authorities to take swift legal action against illegal immigrants entering Maharashtra from Bangladesh and Myanmar.

This directive follows a request by Shiv Sena deputy leader and former MP Rahul Ramesh Shewale to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging strict measures against Bangladeshi infiltrators. The order from the Union Home Ministry, issued a day after a Bangladeshi infiltrator attacked actor Saif Ali Khan, is expected to escalate efforts to tackle illegal immigration.

Rahul Ramesh Shewale stated, "I had written a letter to the Union Home Minister in November 2024 and had cited a report by the Tata Social Science Institute and had demanded action against Bangladeshis living illegally in Maharashtra and Mumbai. Tata Institute had said in its report that Bangladeshi people are living illegally in Mumbai and Maharashtra, and they can be involved in criminal activities, which can pose a threat to the security of Mumbai. Besides, at some places, they are being made voters by giving them fake voter IDs, which can also pose a threat to democracy." 

On Sunday, Mumbai police arrested a 30-year-old Bangladeshi national for allegedly stabbing actor Saif Ali Khan at the actor's residence. Preliminary investigations indicate that the assailant was unaware he had entered the home of a Bollywood celebrity and that his primary intention was theft. The police confirmed that the attack occurred at Hiranandani Estate, located on Ghodbandar Road in Thane district.

It was revealed that the suspect, named initially Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir from Jhalokati, Bangladesh, had changed his name to Vijay Das after arriving in India. He had been living in Mumbai for over five months, doing menial jobs and was associated with a housekeeping agency.

The police have filed charges against the accused under sections 311 (robbery or dacoity with the intent to cause grievous harm or death), 331(4) (house-breaking), and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and the Passport Act of 1967, according to the official.