BSF detains Bangladeshi nationals at West Bengal borders, hands over to Dhaka authorities

On Monday, nine Bangladeshi nationals, including three minors were apprehended by the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel while they were trying to cross the international border in Nadia district of West Bengal. BSF handed over the individuals to Bangladesh authorities as a gesture of goodwill.

"The jawans posted at the border outpost Kumari received specific input from the force's intelligence branch regarding illegal migration from Bangladesh. Around 3 am, the vigilant troops observed suspicious movement and found nine Bangladeshi nationals trying to cross into India", said BSF in a statement.

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Identities of the Bangladeshi migrants were revealed after BSF Jawans questioned them at border outpost Kumari. According to the BSF, the Bangladeshi nationals identified themselves as Taniya Khatoon (25), Moni Rani Nath (28), Rashi Nani Nath (8), Nilu Haldar (20), Purnima Sarkar (16), Anjali Rani Nath (50), Ruma Gazi (27), Md Bilal (8) and Paritosh Rai (25).

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One of the apprehended migrants, Nilu Haldar in her statement mentioned that she was trying to enter India for the first time in order to marry Paritosh Rai who had been living here for over a decade.

"Purnima Sarkar said that she was also coming to India to marry the son of her maternal aunt. Taniya Khatoon said she wanted to look for labour in Mumbai while Moni Rani Nath claimed she was on her way to meet her parents who live in West Bengal's Chatra. Similarly, Anjali Rani Nath was trying to enter India to meet her daughter who lives in Bengal and Ruma Gazi was on her way to meet her husband in Karnataka," BSF said.

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The apprehended Bangladeshi nationals informed the BSF personnel that they were entering India with the help of an Indian named Ravi who hails from Bangaon in West Bengal. Three mobile phones and 1,430 Bangladeshi Taka recovered by the BSF personnel from the nine individuals were handed over to the Border Guard Bangladesh.

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(With ANI Inputs)