Guwahati, Aug 1 (IANS): At least eight persons, including two Bangladeshi nationals, were arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of the Assam Police on alleged charges of running a nexus to illegally transport Rohingya Muslims from Bangladesh to India, officials said.

An official statement mentioned that an all-out operation was conducted by the STF against the linkmen of Rohingyas who were helping them to illegally cross the border and enter India from the neighbouring country.

The Assam Police formed five teams to conduct special operations in the border areas adjoining Assam and Tripura.

"The arrested persons were found to be involved in illegal business for crossing Rohingya Muslims into Indian territory by using fake IDs and other travelling documents showing the illegal Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshi nationals as Indian citizens," said an official statement of the Assam Police.

A senior police officer said that the act is a threat to national security and the state government is taking the matter seriously.

He said, "The modus operandi of linkmen involved in the business of bringing such Rohingya Muslims into India from Bangladesh is for ulterior motives, having the propensity to cause an internal disturbance, thereby threatening the unity, integrity and sovereignty."

According to STF, the linkmen facilitate the illegal Rohingya immigrants to board Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad-bound trains from a few railway stations in Tripura and Assam.

The arrested persons have been identified as Uttam Pal, Kajal Sarkar, Sagar Sarkar, Pervez Hussain, Shib Sankar Ghosh, Kartik Nama, Md. Shahadat and Bijoy Barua.

Among them, Shahadat and Bijoy Barua are Bangladeshi nationals. Barua is a resident of the Chittagong area in the neighbouring country.

The Police said that further investigation into the matter is underway.