More than six hundred Rohingya were detained during a joint operation by the Army and Police in Palongkhali Union of Ukhiya upazila in Cox’s Bazar. The operation began early Sunday morning and continued until noon.

According to officials, the detainees had been living in makeshift homes built on land owned by the Forest Department. Authorities said the drive was carried out amid concerns that Rohingya individuals could be exploited for criminal activities ahead of the upcoming 13th national parliamentary election.

Additional Superintendent of Police (DSB) Alok Biswas confirmed the operation, saying the identities of the detained Rohingya are being verified to determine whether they are registered camp residents or recent entrants. Legal action will be taken based on the findings.

He added that security measures have already been tightened in Rohingya camps across Ukhiya and Teknaf to prevent camp residents from leaving designated areas during the election period.

Currently, more than 1.4 million registered Rohingya live in 33 camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf. Around 800,000 arrived in the months following August 25, 2017. Despite ongoing efforts, no Rohingya have been repatriated to Myanmar over the past eight years.

In the last one and a half years alone, at least 200,000 more Rohingya have fled from Myanmar’s Rakhine State into Bangladesh. While about 150,000 of them have found shelter inside camps, many others are living outside—along roadsides or on forest and privately owned land. Some have also moved to Cox’s Bazar town, Ramu, Chakaria, Chattogram, and other areas.

Last Thursday, a similar joint operation in Dohazari of Chandanaish, Chattogram, resulted in the detention of over 500 Rohingya from surrounding areas, including the Burma Colony.

Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Mohammad Mizanur Rahman said none of the Rohingya detained in Sunday’s operation were registered camp residents. He noted that they had been living on forest land in Palongkhali Union for about a year.

He explained that although arrangements were made to house around 150,000 newly arrived Rohingya in camps, shelter could not be provided for everyone, forcing many to stay outside the camps with support from local residents.