Daijiworld Media Network - Guwahati
Guwahati, Oct 31: Police have detained 36 suspected Bangladeshi nationals at Jogamaya Ferry Ghat in Assam's Dhubri district following an intelligence-based operation, with preliminary investigations indicating that they may have entered India through Meghalaya.
A senior police officer said the men were detained around 10.30 am on Friday after arriving at the ferry ghat by boat. The operation was led by Dhubri Senior Superintendent of Police Debashish Bora.
Police said document verification revealed that all 36 were residents of Chapainawabganj district in Bangladesh's Rajshahi Division.
According to the investigating officials, the group had allegedly entered India through the India-Bangladesh international border in Meghalaya around three days earlier. They subsequently travelled through South Salmara-Mankachar district and boarded a boat from Hatsingimari towards Dhubri.
An investigating officer said around 120 people were travelling on the boat. During screening, police identified 36 suspected Bangladeshi nationals. Some documents and mobile phones were also recovered.
Dhubri SSP Debashish Bora said the purpose of their entry into India and their intended destination were yet to be established. The detainees are being questioned as part of the investigation.
Police are also examining the route and methods allegedly used by the group to enter the country. The SSP said action would be taken under the relevant laws, while the border authorities would process their deportation after consulting the concerned agencies.
The Assam government has been invoking the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, to deal with suspected illegal migrants. In September last year, the state Cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, approved a standard operating procedure under the Act, empowering District Commissioners to issue expulsion orders against individuals considered foreigners.
The latest detention comes weeks after Assam Police detained 27 suspected Bangladeshi nationals, including men, women and minors, at Guwahati and Rangia railway stations.
Police said those detained in the earlier operation belonged to several Bangladeshi districts, including Dhaka, Sunamganj, Gopalganj, Bagherhat, Khulna and Mymensingh. Investigators alleged that they had entered India through Meghalaya with the assistance of an international racket.
Guwahati Deputy Commissioner of Police (Border) Kulendra Nath Deka had said on September 27 that the group had allegedly paid substantial amounts of money to the racket to facilitate their entry into India.