SHILLONG: In a major strike against cross-border crime, a joint team of the BSF and Meghalaya Police arrested a suspected Bangladeshi human trafficker from the dense forests near the Indo-Bangla border in East Khasi Hills. The arrested, identified as Md Mijan Mia aged 49yrs, was apprehended after specific intelligence led to the hideout of the suspect.
A resident of Sunamganj district in Bangladesh, Mia had been in the radar for alleged facilitation in illegal entry of Bangladeshi nationals into India. Sources said Mia's activities were not only confined to human trafficking; rather, he was suspected to engage in various other cross-border smuggling activities. The operation was conducted by 193 Battalion BSF in close coordination with local police, and Mia was captured without any resistance.
He was arrested in a jungle area near the Indo-Bangla border, where he was said to be preparing for yet another crossing. Initial interrogations have already begun, and Mia has been handed over to Dangar police station for further investigation and subsequent judicial action. Authorities are hopeful that his arrest will bring down a bigger network of traffickers and smugglers operating across the border.
The arrest is part of the wider crackdown on illegal border crossings and criminal activities along the northeastern states of India. In another major development on August 31, Tripura Police managed to detain four foreign nationals in separate operations. Of them, two are Bangladeshi nationals, and two Rohingya refugees who illegally crossed into India.
The first arrest in Tripura was made based on information provided by a previously detained suspect. West Agartala Police, under the leadership of Officer-in-Charge Paritosh Das, conducted an operation after receiving intelligence on the presence of a Bangladeshi national in the Lankamura area of West District, Tripura. This operation resulted in the detention of two more Bangladeshi nationals, each implicated in unauthorized crossings.
In a related incident, two Rohingya refugees were detained by Government Railway Police while trying to reach West Bengal from Tripura. The refugees, Azida Behum and Ramjam Ali, fled the overcrowded and troubled Rohingya refugee camp at Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh. "The GRP intercepted them during a routine check," said Tapas Das of GRP, asserting the sustained vigil against illegal migration through the region.
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