Border touts thrive in Tripura amidst Bangladesh unrest; govt steps up vigilance
Agartala, Aug 13: As political unrest continues in neighbouring Bangladesh, border touts have become increasingly active along the 856 km-long India-Bangladesh border in Tripura, assisting illegal infiltrators in crossing into India.
On Tuesday, the vigilant Tripura Railway Police detained one infiltrator, Mujibur Rahman, a Bangladeshi national, from the Udaipur railway station in Gomati district of the state.
Rahman, who illegally entered India through the Belonia area of South Tripura, reportedly paid Rs 15,000 to a border tout who facilitated his crossing.
According to Tripura Railway Police officials, Rahman travelled by bus to Udaipur and was planning to board a train to Mumbai when he was detained at the Udaipur railway station.
Speaking on the issue, SP West Tripura District Kiran Kumar informed The Assam Tribune that the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) troopers are closely monitoring the situation.
“The people who have a history of facilitating infiltration are on our radar. Many touts who played a key role in the infiltration of Bangladeshis in the past and present have been arrested,” Kumar stated.
Tripura has been bearing the brunt of intensive infiltration attempts as the Northeast braces for illegal crossings from Bangladesh amid the ongoing political crisis.
In a separate incident on Tuesday, a group of 12 to 15 Bangladeshi nationals tried to cross the international boundary near BOP Paharmura in Khowai district.
Alert BSF troops on duty observed the group attempting to breach the border and challenged them.
When the infiltrators tried to forcefully negotiate the border fencing, the BSF fired a round from a pump-action gun, causing the group to flee back into Bangladeshi territory.
The exact number of Bangladeshi nationals who have been pushed back across the border since the onset of the political unrest remains unclear.
However, incidents of attempted infiltration have been on the rise. On Monday, four Bangladeshi nationals—identified as Abdul Kalam, Kamrul Jaman, Nabir Hossain, and Md. Jubayer—were arrested in the Nandan Nagar area of Tripura.
In response to the increasing infiltration attempts, the Tripura government has deployed TSR jawans in sensitive border stretches to conduct joint patrols with the BSF, Assam Rifles, and the Indian Army.
