Dhaka, April 27 -- A total of 1,024 Bangladeshi nationals, including women and children, have been detained in India's Gujarat, according to the state police.

They were arrested during a crackdown in Ahmedabad and Surat on Friday night, the Hindustan Times reported.

Addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad on Saturday, the state's police chief Vikas Sahay said this operation was an essential measure in the state's efforts to combat illegal infiltration and associated criminal activities.

The state's Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi said this was the biggest operation of its kind by the Gujarat police to date.

A total of 890 Bangladeshi nationals were detained in Ahmedabad while 134 were detained in Surat within a single night during the...