New Delhi [India], May 4 (ANI): The Foreigners Cell of the Delhi Police, North-West district, apprehended four illegal Bangladeshi immigrants on Sunday following a sustained and meticulous surveillance operation, officials said.

The arrested individuals, who had disguised themselves as transgender persons, were found to be engaging in begging and other activities at traffic signals to avoid suspicion, they said.

According to Bhisham Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-West), the arrested individuals have been identified as as Md. Armaan alias Isha (21), Md. Arif alias Shilpa (26), Md. Jahid alias Mousam (21), and Md. Babul alias Pakhi (40) -- all residents of Bangladesh.

During the operation, two smartphones installed with the banned IMO app, which were being used to communicate with their families in Bangladesh, were recovered.

The individuals confessed that they had entered India illegally through porous borders with the assistance of agents and travelled to Delhi by trains. To evade detection, they adopted disguises and underwent minor surgeries and hormonal injections to alter their appearance and gender presentation, DCP Singh said.

The four have been handed over to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for further deportation proceedings, the DCP said, adding that an investigation is ongoing.

Earlier, in a separate operation on Thursday night, Navi Mumbai Police launched a combing operation aimed at identifying illegal foreign nationals and apprehending wanted and absconding criminals in the area.

Senior police inspector Nitin Thackeray said that approximately 70 police officials were involved in the operation.

'We have formed three teams for this operation. Some specific areas have been mapped and will be probed thoroughly,' Thackeray told ANI.

As part of the operation, police also checked previous criminal records.

'We have identified a few criminals already, and an investigation will be conducted accordingly,' he added.

The police also planned to investigate illegal foreign nationals and proceed with further investigation under the Passport Act, 1967. (ANI)