Assam pushes out 7 persons into Bangladesh on Dec 19, finds them back 7 days on
The seven, including a woman, told Village Defence Party (VDP) members who caught them that they had re-entered India with the help of a trafficking racket
SILCHAR: Seven persons, who were pushed into Bangladesh after being declared foreigners on December 19, have been detained in Assam’s Sribhumi district on Wednesday, barely seven kilometres from the spot from where they were pushed out.
The seven, including a woman, told Village Defence Party (VDP) members who caught them that they had re-entered India with the help of a trafficking racket, police said.
The VDP members, who spotted the group at about 3am on Wednesday near the India-Bangladesh international border, later handed them over to the Border Security Force (BSF).
Sribhumi district’s senior superintendent of police (SSP) Leena Doley confirmed their detention. She said the individuals have been handed over to the BSF and further action would be taken “as per protocol”.
According to Sukul Nath, a VDP member, the detained persons told them that they were initially pushed back from Assam but were not allowed to enter Bangladesh by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).
As a result, the group, which was pushed out from Sutarkandi point, reportedly kept walking along the international border for several days.
“They said they later contacted a group of traffickers who helped them enter India through a gap in the border fencing. Two unknown men assisted them,” Nath said.
The seven were carrying Aadhaar cards and other identity documents. “They also shared contact details of their family members, some of whom live in the Barak Valley. We asked them to wait at a government school premises and informed the BSF,” he added.
BSF teams later took them into custody.
“Before the BSF and police arrived, they revealed their names and showed us their documents. They also shared photographs of what they claimed were Indian identity documents and court orders declaring them foreigners,” Nath said.
Police said investigations were underway to identify the trafficking network that facilitated the re-entry of the seven individuals. Also, vigilance has been stepped up in the district’s border belt.
