From Our Correspondent
TURA, Feb 14: In a major crackdown on infiltration, security forces arrested 14 Bangladeshi nationals along with three Indian touts in two separate incidents in West Garo Hills on Thursday.
BSF troops along with the district police and CRPF personnel intercepted eight Bangladeshi nationals along with an Indian driver while they were travelling near Chandmary playground in Tura on Thursday.
They have been identified as Sahan Sardar, Md Habibul Rahman, Sahidul Islam, Md Milon, Azgar Gazi, Md Sohel, Almamun and Md Tuhin. The Indian driver has been identified as Abhijit Das of Alipurduar district in West Bengal.
In the second incident, the border forces nabbed six more Bangladeshis along with two Indian nationals near the international border.
“During the course of the operations, vigilant BSF personnel from Tura and the 4th CRPF Battalion detected suspicious movements along the border and promptly took action, leading to the successful apprehension of a total of 14 Bangladeshi nationals and three Indians. The apprehended individuals were subsequently handed over to the concerned police station for further legal proceedings,” the BSF said in a statement.
Upon investigation, the Bangladeshi nationals revealed that they had been working as tailors and labourers in clothing companies in Tirupur, Tamil Nadu and had illegally entered India a few months ago. They were arrested while making attempts to return to Bangladesh through unauthorised channels.
The latest cases of illegal entry and exit by Bangladesh nationals, helped by Indian touts have raised serious concerns amongst residents. Following the unrest in Bangladesh since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina in August last year, more than 200 persons of Bangladeshi origin have been arrested in Garo Hills region alone in the last four months, officials said.