Assam: 12 Bangladeshi nationals detained in Goalpara

A CORRESPONDENT

GOALPARA: At least twelve Bangladeshi nationals, including women and children belonging to two families, were detained in Goalpara town on Friday night after residents reportedly became suspicious of their identities. The detainees were subsequently handed over to the police and sent to the Matia Transit Camp on Saturday following preliminary questioning.

According to information available, the group had travelled from Guwahati to Goalpara and was found at New Market in Goalpara town. Their presence and inquiries about local whereabouts reportedly raised suspicion among residents, who subsequently alerted the police. Police personnel reached the spot and took all 12 individuals into custody.

The group was initially kept at Goalpara Sadar police station overnight. On Saturday, they were brought to the police reserve premises at Beltola in Goalpara town for questioning. Following preliminary interrogation, all 12 were sent to the Matia Transit Camp.

During questioning, one of the detainees, Sirajul Islam, reportedly stated that a middleman named Sabuj in Bangladesh had lured them with promises of employment and helped them cross the Bangladesh border through a forested route. According to the account attributed to Islam, the group was brought into India through Meghalaya and subsequently taken to Guwahati on the promise of jobs at a stone quarry.

After allegedly staying in Guwahati for two days and failing to locate the middleman, the group travelled to Goalpara, where they were detained by the police.

The 12 individuals reportedly comprise two families from Bangladesh. The first family, consisting of seven members, is from Hasimpur village under Barlekha police station in Moulvibazar district. It includes Sirajul Islam, 45; his wife, Jobeda Begum, 38; their children and other family members, including two young children.

The second family comprises five members from Pachim Chandpur village under Sunamganj police station in Sylhet district. The family includes Md Amir Ali, 38; his wife, Kudeja Begum, 36; their son Rahen Ali, 19, and his wife, Rumena Aktar, 18, along with a 10-month-old child.

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