Tripura Police nab five touts in major cross-border trafficking crackdown
The crackdown comes after five Bangladesh nationals were apprehended from Agartala Railway station on Friday & Saturday;
The accused border touts with the police team. (AT Photo)
Agartala, April 27: In a major breakthrough, Tripura Police, on Saturday night, busted a cross-border human trafficking network, arresting five touts from the Sonamura and Jatrapur areas of Sepahijala district.
The accused have been identified as Jalil Miah and Md. Hassan of Dhanpur (Sonamura), and Manir Hossain, Jashim Uddin, and Alamgir Hossain of Jatrapur, confirmed Tapas Das, Officer-in-Charge of the Agartala Government Railway Police (GRP).
The arrests were made during a joint operation involving the GRP, the 81 Battalion of the Border Security Force (BSF), and personnel from the Sonamura and Jatrapur police stations.
According to officials, the arrested individuals are part of a wider trafficking network that facilitated the accommodation, food, and safe movement of infiltrators up to Agartala Railway Station, enabling their onward journeys to other states.
During preliminary interrogation, the accused reportedly revealed the names of several others suspected to be linked to the racket. Police sources said investigations are ongoing and more arrests are likely.
A case has been registered at the Agartala GRP Police Station, and the accused are scheduled to be produced before the court. Reports indicated that more arrests linked to the trafficking network could follow.
The crackdown comes after five Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended by the Agartala GRP, Railway Protection Force (RPF), and intelligence units at Agartala Railway Station on Friday and Saturday.
The detainees have been identified as Zahidul Islam alias Jahir (42, Dhaka), Dilwar Hossain (44, Shariatpur), Jamirul Islam (27, Panchagarh), Mohammad Zia (35, Jamalpur), and another individual, who was arrested with 14 kilograms of ganja.
Since the political unrest in Bangladesh, Tripura is experiencing a notable surge in the detention of Bangladesh nationals attempting illegal entry into India.
The Border Security Force (BSF) has identified border touts as a primary factor behind the rising incidents of infiltration, also adding that cases of human trafficking too have seen a spike during this period.
Earlier in October 2024, in a broader crackdown on human trafficking, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had registered a special case and arrested around 23 individuals from Tripura for their involvement in these activities.
