By Firstdespatch Desk Jun 10, 2023
Agartala, June 10 (FD In a recent incident, five Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended from the Bengaluru-bound Humsafar Express at Dharmanagar railway station in North Tripura district.
The individuals were identified as Rafiqul Islam, Shafiqul Islam, Shahab Ali Sheikh, Mumtaz Aqtar, and Rozina Begum based on preliminary investigations.
Following a tip-off, local police, along with officials from the Government Railway Police and Border Security Force, conducted a search operation on the train. The five detainees were discovered based on suspicions and later confessed, during preliminary interrogations, that they were residents of Bangladesh.
According to the detainees' statements, they had received assistance in crossing the international border and barbed wire fence between Bangladesh and India through the Amtali area. Each individual admitted to paying Rs. 20,000 to Rafiqul for facilitating their transportation to Bengaluru.
A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway regarding the matter, as confirmed by an official. This incident follows a previous case in May this year, when five Rohingya individuals were arrested at the same railway station after illegally crossing the Indo-Bangla international border.
Tripura, located along three sides of Bangladesh, shares an 856-km-long international border, some portions of which remain unfenced due to local land disputes and demarcation-related issues.
In 2022, a total of 369 individuals, including 59 Rohingya, 160 Indians, and 150 Bangladeshi nationals, were apprehended in various operations in Tripura, marking a significant increase compared to the previous year. FD JK