The Pantheerankavu police have arrested a 44-year-old Bangladeshi national who was allegedly residing in Kerala without valid documents.

The arrested man has been identified as Mohammed Moniruzzaman, a native of Kushtia district in Bangladesh, police said.

The search was carried out following a tip-off that a Bangladeshi national was living in Mundupalam, near Perumanna in Kozhikode city, with a fake identity. The operation was led by Pantheerankavu Police Station Sub-Inspector P.K. Vinod.

Police said Moniruzzaman had been staying in Mundupalam for nearly four months as a tree cutter.

During interrogation, he reportedly told police that he had crossed a river from Bangladesh into West Bengal before travelling to Kozhikode by train. Police also stated that he had been in Kerala on a valid visa nearly eight years ago.

The investigation team included Pantheerankavu Assistant Sub-Inspector Sunilkumar, Civil Police Officer Dhanish, and members of the Anti-Terrorism Squad.