New Delhi [India], September 20 (ANI): The Operations Cell of Delhi Police's South West District has detained three Nigerian nationals living illegally in India. Their deportation proceedings have been initiated through the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), New Delhi, after completing all legal formalities, officials said on Saturday.

The detainees have been identified as Eloumuno Gabriel (29), a resident of Amambra; Chinedu Paulinus (33), a resident of Asaba; and Sunusi Sani (26), a resident of Lagos.

Police said the trio initially claimed that they had valid visas deposited with the Nigerian embassy. However, verification with the High Commission of Nigeria and the Immigration Department revealed that they had overstayed in India and never returned to their country.

Police received information about illegal African migrants in Sagarpur and Palam village areas. Acting on the information, a team intercepted the suspects and asked for identification. They failed to produce valid visa documents and admitted to being in the country illegally.

During the search of their mobile phones, police found copies of their passports and their Nigerian national ID cards. The men told police that they had been working housekeeping jobs with some of their African friends in Delhi's Shahpura, Gurugram and Noida, and were residing in Dwarka Sector-01 near Palam village. They were looking for work at the time of their detention.

Last month, the FRRO detained another Nigerian national illegally staying in Chhatarpur after a local moved the Delhi High Court. The petitioner informed the court that the foreign national had been residing in his rented premises without a valid visa and that his visa applications had been reportedly rejected. (ANI)