Guwahati: Despite tight vigilance and strict measures by Border Security Force (BSF) and other security agencies, the illegal influx from Bangladesh continues to India through Northeastern borders.
Railway police in Guwahati have arrested 9 Bangladeshi infiltrators along with women and children from Guwahati Railway Station on June 11. As per report, 9 suspected persons including 2 women and 3 children were travelling from Cachar to Guwahati in Silchar-Guwahati Express. The group includes 5 men, two women and 2 children. Co-passengers in the train suspected the group from their suspicious activities. The alert passengers immediately informed the railway police. After the train reached Guwahati, railway police detained the suspected passengers.
On the initial interrogation the infiltrators couldn’t produce any legal Indian documents. Later they confessed that they are Bangladeshi nationals and entered India through the Cachar border with the help of local touts. They crossed the India-Bangladesh border through a riverine patch at night and stayed in a nearby location under the guidance of the local tout. Later they boarded the Silchar-Guwahati Express on tickets provided by the tout. Their plan was to travel to Guwahati and if possible to some bigger cities. The group was promised by the tout to provide fake Indian documents once they reach Guwahati. But before that, they were arrested after alert co-passengers informed the railway police. The case is now under investigation to root-out the tout network who are helping the infiltrators.
On the other hand, Meghalaya police have arrested another 5 Bangladeshi infiltrators in Tura town. The group is from Rajshahi district of Bangladesh. As per police sources, the Bangladeshi infiltrators crossed the border in Meghalaya and reached Tura town in West Garo Hills District. Later they hired a Bolero passenger vehicle in Hatsingimari in Assam to reach Guwahati via Tura. Based on intelligence input, Meghalaya police intercepted the vehicle and took all 5 Bangladeshi in custody.
Arrested infiltrators were identified as Shahel Rana, Sabi Ali, Tashekul Islam, Jiadur Sheikh and Nabi Ali. The group was planning to travel to South India from Guwahati. It is suspected that the arrested infiltrators were in touch with a local tout, who promised to help them travelling to Bangalore or Hyderabad and fake Indian documents. But they were arrested before reaching Guwahati. Meghalaya police are investigating the infiltration and cross border human trafficking network. The two arrests of Bangladeshi infiltrators in large groups in Assam and Meghalaya within 24 hours reflects the intensity of continuous infiltration to India from Bangladesh despite tough measures by the security forces.
