Fifth Bangladeshi suspect held in Meghalaya border raid; gang leader injured

Security forces on Sunday arrested a fifth Bangladeshi national allegedly involved in the armed raid on a village along the border in Meghalaya’s South West Khasi Hills district, police said.

The accused was part of a gang of eight to nine armed men who crossed into Rongdangai village around midnight on August 7, assaulted a local shopkeeper, and looted cash and valuables before fleeing back towards the border.

Villagers, along with security personnel, chased and caught four of the suspects on the spot, police added.

Superintendent of Police B. Jyrwa said the fifth suspect was apprehended during a joint search operation by the Meghalaya Police and the BSF in the Chibak forest area on Saturday night.

Recovered items from the suspects include a Bangladesh Police identity card, three medical prescriptions, three wireless handsets, an axe, a barbed-wire cutter, a small knife, three micro-explosives, and currency in both Bangladeshi taka and Indian rupees.

The gang leader, identified as a Bangladesh Police constable, sustained injuries during a confrontation with villagers and BSF personnel and is currently under treatment.

Border fencing work is underway in the area to curb cross-border crime, police said, adding that efforts are on to trace the remaining suspects.