BSF detains 11 Bangladeshi, 10 Rohingyas in Tripura for illegal entry

The Border Security Force (BSF) in Tripura in two separate operations on Sunday apprehended 11 Bangladeshi nationals and 10 Rohingya migrants, including five children, officials said.

A BSF Spokesman said that amid heightened security measures during the festive season, the BSF Tripura Frontier, has intensified its vigil along the India–Bangladesh border.

In coordinated operations on Sunday, BSF troops apprehended 21 illegal infiltrators -- 11 Bangladeshi nationals and 10 Rohingya migrants from different locations in Tripura.

Based on specific intelligence inputs, BSF teams detected suspicious movement at the Agartala Railway Station, where 11 individuals were found to be Bangladeshi nationals, who had illegally entered India and were attempting to travel to other parts of India by train.

In a separate operation in north Tripura district, alert BSF personnel intercepted 10 Rohingya illegal migrants, including women and children, who were attempting to enter Bangladesh, the Spokesman added.

He said that preliminary questioning revealed that they had travelled from Delhi and Jammu and intended to reach Moulvibazar in Bangladesh through Tripura.

These apprehensions underscore the BSF's heightened vigilance and operational alertness to curb illegal infiltration, human trafficking, and trans-border crimes during the ongoing festive period, the official added.

He said that the para-military troops have enhanced vigil and intensified its domination along the International Border since the violence in Bangladesh began in June-July last year, specially after the fall of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5, 2024.

Tripura, which has an 856-km border with Bangladesh, is surrounded on three sides by the neighbouring country, making the northeastern state vulnerable and sensitive to cross-border migration issues and numerous border-related crimes.

Except for some patches, most of the 856 km border had been fenced to prevent smuggling, trans-border crimes, cross-border illegal movements by infiltrators and inimical elements.