NEW DELHI/ SHILLONG: An alleged ‘smuggler’ belonging to Meghalaya was shot dead near the India-Bangladesh border at Mymensingh early Tuesday morning, official sources confirmed.
The deceased, identified as Thedian G Momin, 45, and hailing from Gasuapara in South Garo Hills, was part of a gang of eight smugglers that sneaked into the Suryapur Dumnikura area along the India-Bangladesh border, the sources said.
“Sensing their presence, a patrol team of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) chased them. Subsequently, the smugglers, while fleeing, threw sharp weapons at the BGB team, leaving a member of the paramilitary force injured,” a police official said.
In retaliation, the BGB troops opened fire, leaving Momin wounded. However, he succumbed to his injuries while the others in the gang fled the scene.
After receiving information, police rushed to the spot and recovered the body, which was later sent to the Mymensingh Medical College for autopsy.
Police also recovered 260 pieces of yaba tablets, 12 bottles of wine and two sharp weapons from the spot.
The incident comes shortly after BSF Meghalaya refuted media reports in Bangladesh claiming that troops of BSF, BOP Gasuapara sector in Tura, allegedly shot a Bangladeshi civilian, Khairul Islam, when he had gone to the border area in search of his cattle.
Islam later succumbed to bullet injuries at Mymensingh Civil Hospital in the intervening night of December 22 and 23, the reports said.
Meanwhile, sources in Meghalaya informed that three Bangladeshi nationals had abducted Momin on December 28 from the bordering area with the help of BGB personnel.
The sources claimed that after dragging Momin inside the Bangladesh, troops of 39 Battalion of BGB shot him repeatedly and left the bullet ridden body approximately 15 meters inside Bangladesh on Halughat border of Mymensingh early Tuesday.
According to the sources, the victim has no criminal record in India and so far his body has not been handed over to the authorities in India.
BSF Meghalaya DIG UK Nayal told media persons today that some attempts were being made to create misunderstanding between the border guarding forces of the two countries.
Suspecting that the recent incident may be a conspiracy by some people who do not want a good relationship between BSF and BGB as they are finding it difficult to carry out criminal activities on the border, the BSF official added that the two forces will maintain good relations at all cost.
