Guwahati, Sep 17 (IANS): Assam Police on Saturday arrested at least 17 Bangladeshi nationals from Biswanath district for preaching religious activity and violating the visa norms, officials said.

Nabin Singh, Superintendent of Police of Biswanath district, told IANS that the Bangladeshi nationals were camping at the Baghmari area under the Jinjia police station in the district for the last few days.

The police officer informed that the Bangladeshi nationals entered India through the Coach Behar border in West Bengal last month. They then entered Assam and went to some places in the South Shalmara district of the state. The group was headed by a religious teacher Ashraful Alom, who is a resident of Sherpur district in Bangladesh.

According to police, the group started preaching religious activities in some remote villages in that district. But, it came under the radar of police and they were called to Fakirganj Police Station in South Salmara earlier.

Police have warned them to stop preaching religious activities there.

Singh said that the Bangladeshi nationals then agreed to conditions laid down by the police and informed that they were heading towards Ajmer Sharif.

"But after a few days, they again returned to Assam and this time started the religious activities in the riverine areas of Baghmara in the Biswanath district," he added.

The police officer further informed that the Bangladeshi group chose to carry out riverine areas as they fall in the interior part of the district.

Singh said: "Bangladeshi nationals entered India on tourist visa and were carrying out religious preaching which is a clear violation of the visa conditions. We have registered a case against them under the Foreigners Act and also initiated the process to cancel their visa.

Assam police have arrested as many as 40 persons in the last few months for allegedly running terror modules in the state. The police have claimed that the terror outfits Al-Qaida in India Subcontinent (AQIS) and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) were trying to expand their base in Assam and North East India.