Six Bangladeshi nationals, two Indian touts held for illegal border crossing in Tripura

Six Bangladeshi nationals and two Indian touts have been arrested in Tripura for illegally crossing the India-Bangladesh international border, authorities confirmed on Saturday.

The arrests came after Border Security Force (BSF) personnel detained a group during routine checks at the Inter-State Bus Terminal in Dharmanagar, North Tripura, on Friday evening. According to the BSF, four individuals identified as Bangladeshi citizens and two Indian men accompanying them were stopped while attempting to travel further inland.

"During preliminary interrogation, it was revealed that out of six persons, four are Bangladesh citizens. Two others who allegedly guided the Bangladesh citizens to reach Dharmanagar were also detained," said Srikanta Bardhan, Officer-in-Charge of Dharmanagar police station.

Police later confirmed that all six individuals were handed over by the BSF and were booked under relevant sections of the law. "Four Bangladesh nationals were arrested for entering India without valid documents and the remaining two were arrested for helping the infiltrators. Now, they are in judicial remand for 14 days," Bardhan added.

In a separate incident, the same day, two more Bangladeshi nationals were arrested in the Belfung area under the Sidhai police station in West Tripura. They were reportedly travelling by vehicle from Sidhai to Khowai when local police intercepted them.

Authorities said both individuals were presented before a local court, which has remanded them to judicial custody. An investigation into both incidents is currently underway.