Ugandan arrested after 17-year overstay, to be deported

Hameed Ashraf | NT
Bengaluru:

The city police initiated the deportation process of a Ugandan national who had been illegally staying in India for almost 17 years. As per the police, the foreigner was also involved in various illegal activities, including supplying fake passports and visas to foreign nationals. The accused has been identified as Bosco Kaweesi.

A preliminary investigation by the city police revealed that he had been working as a legal advisor to the African Students' Association in the city. Speaking to News Trail, Bengaluru Police Commissioner CH Pratap Reddy said that there are many instances where foreign nationals who come to Bengaluru by procuring student or business visas have been detained or deported back to their country.

"The city police, on a special drive to identify such people, found Bosco had been staying in the city illegally for almost 17 years," he said. Bosco Kaweesi came to India in 1995 after obtaining a student visa. He overstayed despite several notices having been sent to him to leave the country after his visa expired in 2005.

According to police, Bosco married an Indian woman and later approached the High Court seeking permission to settle in the country. However, his application was rejected in 2022 after a brief inquiry. On July 19, the immigration authorities from New Delhi took Bosco into custody and interrogated him on the basis of the information submitted by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) to the Union Ministry. The Bengaluru Police Commissioner also said that the Banaswadi police seized 26 fake passports from Bosco's place.