Guwahati: The Border Branch of the Guwahati Police Commissionerate has arrested four people, including two cab drivers and two hotel managers, for allegedly transporting Bangladeshi nationals from the Meghalaya border to Guwahati and providing them shelter at a hotel in Khanapara.
The arrests followed an investigation into the detention of 13 Bangladeshi nationals on October 18.
The four arrested individuals have been identified as Karan Sonowal, Bipul Chetia, Sanjib Hazarika and Lachit Gogoi, according to the available police report. Sonowal and Chetia are cab drivers accused of transporting Bangladeshi nationals from the Meghalaya border to Guwahati.
Police reportedly said the two drivers were motivated by the prospect of earning more money by carrying the foreign nationals to the city.
The other two accused, Hazarika and Gogoi, were working as hotel managers. They allegedly provided accommodation to the Bangladeshi nationals at Hotel Meghalaya in Khanapara.
The arrests followed a police operation on October 18, during which 13 Bangladeshi nationals were detained.
According to the report, questioning of those detained helped investigators uncover how the alleged network operated. The investigation reportedly revealed that some individuals were willing to provide shelter to foreign nationals in exchange for money.
The alleged arrangement involved transporting Bangladeshi nationals from the Meghalaya border to Guwahati and arranging accommodation after their arrival in the city.
The latest arrests bring attention to the alleged involvement of local transport operators and hotel personnel in facilitating the movement and accommodation of foreign nationals.
Previous police investigations into similar cases reportedly indicated that Bangladeshi nationals had entered India through the Dawki route in Meghalaya.
According to police accounts cited in earlier reports, touts allegedly helped them cross into India before they travelled onwards to Guwahati.
The latest case adds to a series of police actions targeting individuals accused of facilitating the movement of Bangladeshi nationals through the city.
In a separate case in early October, police arrested a hotel owner, two managers and another alleged facilitator after apprehending 18 Bangladeshi nationals in two operations. One operation was conducted at the Guwahati railway station, while the other took place at a hotel.
The earlier arrests and the latest detention of four people indicate that police have been investigating multiple alleged arrangements involving transportation and accommodation of Bangladeshi nationals in Guwahati.
The specific legal sections under which Karan Sonowal, Bipul Chetia, Sanjib Hazarika and Lachit Gogoi have been booked were not immediately available in the report.
Further details about the investigation and the legal action against the four accused were also not provided.
The allegations against the arrested individuals remain subject to the investigation and legal proceedings.