Shillong: The vigilant Border Security Force (BSF) personnel have thwarted a massive infiltration attempt on the International Border in Meghalaya and arrested 26 Bangladeshi intruders on July 15. The Meghalaya frontier of BSF conducted several anti-infiltration operations along the Indo-Bangladesh border and over the past week and arrested 35 Bangladeshi infiltrators and Indian touts. BSF also seized 32 numbers of cattle and medicine worth Rupees several lakh during the successful operation.
On the intervening night of July 14-15, alert troops of 22nd Battalion of BSF Meghalaya Frontier acting on specific intelligence arrested 26 Bangladeshi nationals and 4 Indian touts in the West Garo Hills district. The group, which included women and youth, was caught while attempting to illegally infiltrate into Indian territory. Several vehicles used for ferrying the group were also seized. The arrested intruders were handed over to police for further investigation.
A BSF official confirmed that the apprehended individuals had crossed into India through unfenced and porous stretches of the international border with the help of local agents. The gang of intruders were intended to travel to different parts of India in search of jobs.
Two days earlier, on July 12, BSF troops carried out three separate actions across the East Khasi Hills and West Jaintia Hills, successfully thwarting smuggling and infiltration attempts.
In the East Khasi Hills district, three Bangladeshi nationals were caught using a country-made boat while attempting to cross the International Boundary under the cover of darkness. Their motive: stealing sand from Indian riverbeds, a practice that has become a recurring threat to local ecology and livelihoods. The swift action taken by BSF foiled the smuggled attempt by the Bangladeshi intruders.
In another operation, the alert BSF personnel foiled a major smuggling attempt by Bangladeshi smugglers in the International Border. BSF troops recovered 32 cattle being smuggled to the other side of the border and also seized medicine worth Rupees 10 lakhs. The smugglers escaped taking advantage of the dark.
Adding to the list of successful operations, on July 8, acting on input from the BSF Intelligence Branch, troops under Sector Headquarters Jowai, in collaboration with the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) Shillong, apprehended two Bangladeshi nationals and two Indian touts in the Jowai sector. The Bangladeshi were in Indian territory and were engaged as construction workers in Delhi with fake IDs. They were trying to return to Bangladesh with the help of local touts seeing the ongoing crackdown against infiltrators across the country
Security officials noted that this attempt highlighted a growing trend of exfiltration, as many undocumented migrants now seek to return home due to fear of legal action or deportation following government crackdowns.
Residents living near the border, while relieved by the heightened security, have also raised concerns about increasing human trafficking and illegal movement.
The BSF Meghalaya has reaffirmed its commitment to tightening vigil along the international border and working in close coordination with local police, intelligence units, and civil administration to combat not only infiltration but also the networks of touts and traffickers that enable it.
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