11 more Bangladesh nationals held in Tripura for illegally entering India

Agartala: Amidst the Border Security Forces (BSF) put on high alert since the turmoil in Bangladesh began, infiltration from the neighbouring country into Tripura remained unabated as 11 more Bangladeshi nationals and three Indian touts were arrested in Tripura for illegal entry into India, officials said on Sunday.

A Government Railway Police (GRP) official said that the 11 Bangladesh nationals including four women were arrested from the Agartala railway station on Saturday night for their illegal entry into India.

Three Indian touts, who facilitated Bangladesh citizens to cross over the India-Bangladesh border illegally, were also arrested.

“The Bangladesh national confessed that they wanted to go to Chennai and Ahmedabad by train in search of jobs,” the official told the media, adding that some mobile phones and Indian and Bangladesh currencies were seized from them.

Over the last three months, more than 355 Bangladeshi nationals and 41 Rohingyas were arrested by the GRP, Border Security Force (BSF), and Tripura Police from the Agartala railway station and various other places in Tripura after they illegally entered India.

The officials said that most of the illegal entrants told the Indian security officials that they fled to India in search of work as their livelihood was at stake in Bangladesh due to the troubles in that country since June.

After the unrest began in Bangladesh in June this year, security along the India-Bangladesh borders has been tightened further to check infiltration from the neighbouring country.

A BSF official said that during the past two months, the force has foiled several infiltration bids in different bordering areas of the northeastern states.

In view of ongoing unrest and political crisis in Bangladesh, the BSF has stepped up its vigilance along the India-Bangladesh border with northeastern states and maintained close coordination with Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) at various levels, he added.

To heighten the security along the border, the BSF has also introduced a multi-pronged strategy to prevent trans-border crime and illegal infiltration, with state-of-the-art hand-held thermal imagers and drones have been inducted.