57 illegal Bangladeshis held in Guwahati

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The state capital is fast emerging as the transit hub for Bangladeshi nationals illegally entering India and exiting. This was once again evident in the arrest of 57 illegal infiltrators, who were planning to exit the country, from the city on Thursday.

Their detention has taken the number of illegal Bangladeshis arrested in the city in the last three days to 75.

The 57 Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended from Kamakhya railway station here on Thursday as they arrived by a train from Delhi.

The police said they had entered the country illegally and were residing in Srinagar for the past 20-25 years. However, following an ongoing crackdown by the Jammu & Kashmir Police against illegal Bangladeshis residing in Srinagar, they fled to Delhi, from where they took the train to Guwahati.

According to the police, these illegal infiltrators were planning to return to Bangladesh via Meghalaya border.

The police claimed that one of the arrested Bangladeshi youth confessed that he was born in Srinagar after his father had settled there about 20-25 years back after entering India illegally via Meghalaya and passing through Guwahati.

He disclosed that they were now returning to Bangladesh due to the operation against illegal immigrants settled in Srinagar.

The development comes close on the heels of 13 Bangladeshi nationals who were apprehended on Wednesday from a hotel here, as they were planning to return to their homeland. These 13 illegal infiltrators too were reportedly returning from Srinagar.

Prior to that, five Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended by the police from a Mumbai-bound train. They had illegally entered the country and were transiting Guwahati.

The police have admitted presence of certain individuals in Guwahati who facilitate travel, both inbound and outbound, of Bangaladeshis illegally entering and exiting the country via the city.

Of late, there have been several incidents of push-backs by the police of illegal immigrants after being caught along the Indo-Bangladesh border.

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