Dharmanagar, July 11 — In a major operation to curb illegal infiltration, troops of the 199 Battalion of the Border Security Force (BSF) based in Panisagar, in coordination with local police, detained four Bangladeshi nationals and two Indian touts from the Dharmanagar ISBT on Thursday evening.
According to police sources, the Bangladeshi nationals have been identified as Riya Begum, Rima Akhtar, Barjina Sheikh, and Manna Mullah. The two Indian touts who were allegedly facilitating their illegal entry into Indian territory have been identified as Mrinal Goswami and Salman.
The arrests came as part of intensified border vigilance and anti-infiltration efforts by the BSF and Tripura Police. Officials said the group was intercepted at the Dharmanagar Inter-State Bus Terminal while attempting to move further into the state.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the detained individuals crossed the border illegally with the help of local facilitators. All six are currently under police custody and are being interrogated to determine the motive behind the illegal entry and to uncover any broader network involved in human trafficking or illegal migration.
A senior police officer involved in the operation stated, “We are conducting thorough interrogations to understand how they crossed the border and whether any local or transnational racket is behind the infiltration.”
The BSF and police have been on high alert in border areas amid concerns about rising incidents of cross-border infiltration and smuggling. The state of Tripura shares an over 850 km-long border with Bangladesh, much of which is porous and vulnerable.
Authorities assured that strict legal action will be taken against all involved, and further investigations are underway to trace additional links in the cross-border infiltration chain.
