Kolkata: The Border Security Force (BSF) has apprehended eight individuals, including seven Bangladeshi nationals, while they were attempting to illegally enter India through the Kuchlibari border in Mekhliganj, located in Cooch Behar. In a separate incident, four more individuals were detained while trying to infiltrate the country via the India-Nepal border.
In the first operation, BSF personnel from the Dhaprahat Border Outpost under Kuchlibari Police Station conducted a night raid on Monday and arrested seven Bangladeshi nationals along with an Indian facilitator. The Bangladeshi nationals have been identified as Abdur Rob, Akash Hossain, Sujan Hossain, Saiful Islam, Animul Sheikh, Rashol Sheikh, and Nirab Sikdar. Among them, four are from Pabna, two from Rajbari, and one from Daulatpur district in Bangladesh. The Indian facilitator has been identified as Sushil Shil from the Teesta Payasti area of Kuchlibari.
Cooch Behar shares a long international border with Bangladesh, stretching nearly 500 km. Although much of this boundary is secured with barbed wire fencing, several stretches remain unfenced due to rivers and difficult terrain. These vulnerable areas are often exploited for illegal crossings and smuggling activities.
According to BSF sources, surveillance along the India-Bangladesh border had been intensified following intelligence inputs. Suspicious movement was noticed in the Dhapra area, prompting a targeted operation that led to the arrests.
During preliminary questioning, the detained Bangladeshi nationals revealed that they had previously entered India illegally and travelled to Kerala in search of work. They admitted that they were returning to Bangladesh to celebrate Eid and intended to re-enter India afterward.
All the accused were handed over to the local police for further legal proceedings. BSF’s Jalpaiguri Sector Deputy Inspector General Pawan Kumar Pankaj stated that strict vigilance is being maintained along the international border to curb infiltration, smuggling, and other illegal activities, attributing the success to enhanced intelligence and patrolling.
In a separate incident, personnel of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) foiled an infiltration attempt along the India-Nepal border. Troops from the 41st Battalion apprehended four individuals in the Ranidanga sector near Siliguri.
Acting on a tip-off, a raid was conducted in the Rathkhola area under Naxalbari Police Station, leading to the arrest of four suspects, including two Thai women. The others detained were an Indian driver and a Nepali smuggler. SSB officials said that troops from ‘B’ Company at Madanjot, near the border, intercepted a vehicle close to Pillar No. 88/08 as it attempted to cross into India. The detainees were later produced before a court in Siliguri.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Thai nationals Nusra Kingwan (43) and Sabini Chalasai (33), Nepali smuggler Abhishek Shrestha Bharatali (28) from Jhapa district in Nepal, and Indian driver Mohammad Soleman (26) from North Dinajpur.
Authorities recovered several items from the accused, including foreign passports, mobile phones, Aadhaar cards, and a Nepali identity card. The vehicle used in the attempted crossing has been seized.
The SSB suspects that the Thai nationals may have been attempting to enter India under the pretext of offering “Thai massage,” possibly linked to illegal activities such as trafficking. All four have been booked under relevant sections at Naxalbari Police Station, and further investigation is underway.
