Agartala: In a significant security operation, four Bangladesh illegal intruders and one Indian tout were arrested at Agartala railway station while attempting to board a Chennai-bound express train without valid travel documents, a railway police officer reported on May 18.
During a routine check, the Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel detained the group around 5 PM on Friday, raising suspicions about their lack of proper identification. “A group of individuals were entering the platform through the main gate of the station to catch a Chennai-bound express train. On suspicion, the GRP personnel detained five people and took them to the police station for interrogation,” said Tapas Das, Officer in Charge (OC) of GRP Agartala station. GRP Tripura later released a picture of the arrested intruders.
The arrested individuals were identified as Jahangir Alam (21), Riyad Hussain (22), Onan Hussain (19), and Imam Hussain (23) from Bangladesh. They were allegedly assisted by Rafikul Islam, an Indian tout from Sonamura in Tripura’s Sepahijala district.
“All the Bangladesh nationals were arrested for travelling in India without valid passports, and one Indian tout was also arrested for accompanying them. They were forwarded before a local court seeking police remand for further interrogation,” Das added. GRP said that a special case has been registered against the arrested intruders and Indian touts.
This incident follows a similar case on May 11, when eight Bangladesh citizens were apprehended at the same station for entering India without passports. Their attempt to board the Kanchanjunga Express bound for Mumbai, where the touts promised them work, was thwarted by the police operation. These consecutive arrests highlight the ongoing challenge of illegal immigration in the region.
The detained individuals claimed they were planning to travel to Chennai, but their journey was cut short by the vigilant railway police. Authorities are now focusing on the broader implications of such illegal entries and the potential involvement of local accomplices facilitating these movements.
On May 5, Tripura Police apprehended 16 Bangladeshi nationals, including five children, in two separate incidents in the Dhalai District. Superintendent of Police, Avinas Rai, disclosed that the arrests were made based on secret information received by the police.
