BENGALURU, Feb. 6 -- State home minister G Parameshwara said on Thursday that police have been instructed to begin a statewide exercise to identify foreign nationals living in the state without legal status, alongside inspections of chemical factories as part of an effort to curb illegal drug manufacturing.

The minister said authorities would verify the presence of Bangladeshi nationals and others alleged to be staying unlawfully. "I issued directions to the department to conduct a statewide drive to identify Bangladeshis or other foreign nationals who are staying illegally," Parameshwara told reporters.

He addressed public claims about the scale of the issue, noting discrepancies between political assertions and official data. "Some ar...