Silchar: Three illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, who trespassed into the Cachar district of Assam, were detained from the Katigara area on Sunday night, police said.
According to cops, the immigrants were suspiciously loitering around a market. On being questioned, the immigrants admitted that they entered India illegally from the Sylhet district of Bangladesh to smuggle cows.
Also read: Smuggling of arms, drugs and cattle along India-Bangladesh border goes unchecked
The latest movement of Bangladesh nationals came after around 14 illegal immigrants were arrested from the Barama, Salbari, and Gobardhana areas of Baksa. They were declared by the Foreigners Tribunal as illegal immigrants after they failed to show valid documents to the court. Later, they were all sent to Goalpara and Kokrajhar detention camps.
The alleged intrusion of Bangladeshi nationals, who often illegally cross the border from the neighbouring country and indulge in unlawful activities in Assam, has been an issue in the northeastern state where influential student unions led by All Assam Students' Union keep pressurising the government to act tough on illegal immigrants.
According to Cachar police, on Sunday night, the village guard on local duty saw some suspicious people roaming around in Katigorah Kinnakhal market near the India-Bangladesh border. The three men were nabbed by the village guards on suspicion. The truth came out only when they were interrogated.
The three men said they illegally entered India with the intention of smuggling buffaloes from Cachar to Bangladesh. After such confessions of the detained Bangladeshis, the village guard handed over the three to the police.
Several incriminating materials, including sharp weapons, have been recovered from the three arrested Bangladeshis. It is to be noted that there have been long-standing allegations that buffaloes are being smuggled to Bangladesh every day from the Indo-Bangladesh border at Katigarh in Cachar. Locals said criminals from Bangladesh cross the border and illegally enter Cachar taking advantage of dakness during night time and go back to Bangladesh from Cachar with smuggled buffaloes.
Such incidents have been detected multiple times in the past. There have been allegations that handlers from across the border recruit agents in Cachar to help them in Bangladeshi smuggling activities.
