Agartala, At least 16 Rohingyas, including seven women, were arrested in Tripura for allegedly entering India from Bangladesh without valid documents, police said.
Acting on a tip-off, police on Thursday afternoon arrested 11 suspected Rohingyas at Dharmangar Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) in North Tripura district, Dharmanagar Police Station OC Himadri Sarkar said.
"During interrogation, it was found that the 11 people had crossed the international border from a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh and were waiting to be transported by bus to Guwahati. We arrested them and produced them before a local court," Sarkar said over the phone. Seven minors were also detained for illegally entering Indian territory, he added.
In a separate incident in North Tripura's Churaibari area on the same day, police intercepted a Guwahati-bound bus and asked passengers to verify their identities. Five Rohingyas among them did not present proof of nationality, a senior official said.
"They were initially detained for interrogation. During interrogation, the five admitted that they came from a camp in Bangladesh and were planning to travel to Hyderabad via Guwahati," said Pritimoy Chakma, second officer in charge of Churabari police station. They had crossed the international border through Boxangar in Sepahijala district of Tripura, Chakma added.
Responding to the multiple cases of infiltration, Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday called a high-level meeting with security agencies. "I have met the BSF and other agencies to address issues related to human trafficking, smuggling and other border crimes. We have directed them to take strict measures to stop illegal activities along the India-Bangladesh border. The state government will provide full support to these efforts," Saha said in a social media post.
Acting on a tip-off, police on Thursday afternoon arrested 11 suspected Rohingyas at Dharmangar Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) in North Tripura district, Dharmanagar Police Station OC Himadri Sarkar said.
"During interrogation, it was found that the 11 people had crossed the international border from a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh and were waiting to be transported by bus to Guwahati. We arrested them and produced them before a local court," Sarkar said over the phone. Seven minors were also detained for illegally entering Indian territory, he added.
In a separate incident in North Tripura's Churaibari area on the same day, police intercepted a Guwahati-bound bus and asked passengers to verify their identities. Five Rohingyas among them did not present proof of nationality, a senior official said.
"They were initially detained for interrogation. During interrogation, the five admitted that they came from a camp in Bangladesh and were planning to travel to Hyderabad via Guwahati," said Pritimoy Chakma, second officer in charge of Churabari police station. They had crossed the international border through Boxangar in Sepahijala district of Tripura, Chakma added.
Responding to the multiple cases of infiltration, Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday called a high-level meeting with security agencies. "I have met the BSF and other agencies to address issues related to human trafficking, smuggling and other border crimes. We have directed them to take strict measures to stop illegal activities along the India-Bangladesh border. The state government will provide full support to these efforts," Saha said in a social media post.
